Cropland area in France
France: Cropland area was 17.93 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
17.93 million hectares
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
20th
of 224 countries
All-time high
21.41 million hectares
in 1961
All-time low
17.93 million hectares
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Cropland area in France, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, cropland area in France stood at 17.93 million hectares. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cropland area in France peaked at 21.41 million hectares in 1961 and was at its lowest, 17.93 million hectares, in 2023.
France ranks 20th of 224 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Cropland area in France, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 21.41 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 21.32 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1963 | 21.24 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 20.83 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 1965 | 20.54 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 1966 | 20.21 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1967 | 19.82 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 1968 | 19.30 million hectares | -2.6% |
| 1969 | 19.27 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1970 | 19.10 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1971 | 18.69 million hectares | -2.2% |
| 1972 | 18.63 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1973 | 18.70 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 18.89 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 18.95 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 18.74 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 1977 | 18.84 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 18.98 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 18.92 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 18.87 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 18.92 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 19.02 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 19.03 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 19.14 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 19.24 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 19.30 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 19.46 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 19.05 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 1989 | 18.93 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 18.99 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 19.04 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 19.05 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 19.23 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 19.28 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 19.35 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 19.37 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 19.42 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 19.46 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 19.50 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 19.50 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 19.48 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 19.50 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 19.47 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 19.48 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 19.49 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 19.44 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 19.36 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 19.32 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 19.28 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 19.31 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 19.28 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 19.29 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 19.30 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 19.33 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 19.46 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 19.35 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 19.46 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 19.13 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 18.97 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 18.02 million hectares | -5.0% |
| 2021 | 18.04 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 18.02 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 17.93 million hectares | -0.5% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 17.93 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 303,040 hectares, 59.2× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- France's 17.93 million hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.39 million hectares, 12.9× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 20.44 million hectares | 19.27 million hectares | 21.41 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 18.84 million hectares | 18.63 million hectares | 19.10 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 19.10 million hectares | 18.87 million hectares | 19.46 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.27 million hectares | 18.99 million hectares | 19.50 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.43 million hectares | 19.28 million hectares | 19.50 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.29 million hectares | 18.97 million hectares | 19.46 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.00 million hectares | 17.93 million hectares | 18.04 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near France
More agriculture & rural data for France
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 14.99 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.014 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 687.36 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.033 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2115 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cropland area in France?
- Cropland area in France was 17.93 million hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cropland area recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 21.41 million hectares in 1961.
- What is the lowest cropland area recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.93 million hectares in 2023.
- How does France rank for cropland area?
- France ranks 20th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cropland area rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Cropland area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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