Cropland area in South Korea
South Korea: Cropland area was 1.51 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.51 million hectares
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
102nd
of 224 countries
All-time high
2.32 million hectares
in 1968
All-time low
1.51 million hectares
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Cropland area in South Korea, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 1.51 million hectares for cropland area in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 11.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cropland area in South Korea peaked at 2.32 million hectares in 1968 and was at its lowest, 1.51 million hectares, in 2023.
South Korea ranks 102nd of 224 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Cropland area in South Korea, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.10 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 2.06 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 1963 | 2.08 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1964 | 2.17 million hectares | +4.4% |
| 1965 | 2.26 million hectares | +3.9% |
| 1966 | 2.29 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1967 | 2.31 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 2.32 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 2.31 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 2.30 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1971 | 2.27 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1972 | 2.24 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1973 | 2.24 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1974 | 2.24 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 2.24 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 2.24 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 2.23 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 2.22 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 2.21 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 2.20 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 2.19 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 2.18 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 2.17 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 2.15 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1985 | 2.14 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 2.14 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 2.14 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 2.14 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 2.13 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 2.11 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 2.09 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 2.07 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 2.06 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 2.03 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 1.99 million hectares | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 1.95 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 1.92 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 1.91 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 1.90 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 1.92 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 1.89 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 1.86 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 1.85 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 1.84 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 1.82 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 1.80 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 1.78 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 1.76 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 1.74 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 1.72 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 1.70 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 1.73 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 1.71 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 1.69 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 1.68 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 1.64 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 1.62 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 1.60 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 1.58 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 1.56 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 1.55 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 1.53 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 1.51 million hectares | -1.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 1.51 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 303,040 hectares, 5.0× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 1.51 million hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 141,800 hectares, 10.7× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.21 million hectares | 2.06 million hectares | 2.32 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.24 million hectares | 2.21 million hectares | 2.30 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.16 million hectares | 2.13 million hectares | 2.20 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.00 million hectares | 1.90 million hectares | 2.11 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.83 million hectares | 1.74 million hectares | 1.92 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.67 million hectares | 1.58 million hectares | 1.73 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.54 million hectares | 1.51 million hectares | 1.56 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More agriculture & rural data for South Korea
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 0.2516 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0146 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 530.46 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1591 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1883 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cropland area in South Korea?
- Cropland area in South Korea was 1.51 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 2.32 million hectares in 1968.
- What is the lowest cropland area recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.51 million hectares in 2023.
- How does South Korea rank for cropland area?
- South Korea ranks 102nd out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cropland area rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea 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.
Download this data
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