Cropland area in Spain
Spain: Cropland area was 16.61 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
16.61 million hectares
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
24th
of 224 countries
All-time high
21.18 million hectares
in 1971
All-time low
16.61 million hectares
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Cropland area in Spain, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Spain recorded 16.61 million hectares for cropland area in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cropland area in Spain peaked at 21.18 million hectares in 1971 and was at its lowest, 16.61 million hectares, in 2023.
Spain ranks 24th of 224 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Cropland area in Spain, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 20.73 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 20.83 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1963 | 20.84 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 20.55 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 1965 | 20.59 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 20.16 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 1967 | 20.48 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1968 | 20.36 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1969 | 20.83 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1970 | 20.52 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 1971 | 21.18 million hectares | +3.2% |
| 1972 | 21.17 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 20.98 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 20.89 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 20.83 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 20.66 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1977 | 20.60 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 20.58 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 20.53 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 20.50 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 20.49 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 20.49 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 20.51 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 20.51 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 20.42 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 20.42 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 20.39 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 20.37 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 20.32 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 20.17 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 20.09 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 19.95 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 19.66 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 19.50 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 18.75 million hectares | -3.8% |
| 1996 | 19.14 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 19.06 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 18.52 million hectares | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 18.33 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 18.30 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 18.04 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 17.89 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 17.98 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 17.96 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 17.84 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 17.58 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 17.40 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 17.27 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 17.22 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 17.22 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 16.99 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 17.54 million hectares | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 17.13 million hectares | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 17.19 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 17.19 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 17.03 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 16.99 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 16.77 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 16.76 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 16.65 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 16.61 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 16.78 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 16.61 million hectares | -1.0% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 16.61 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 303,040 hectares, 54.8× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Spain's 16.61 million hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.39 million hectares, 12.0× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 20.60 million hectares | 20.16 million hectares | 20.84 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 20.79 million hectares | 20.52 million hectares | 21.18 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.44 million hectares | 20.32 million hectares | 20.51 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.32 million hectares | 18.33 million hectares | 20.17 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.75 million hectares | 17.22 million hectares | 18.30 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.08 million hectares | 16.76 million hectares | 17.54 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.66 million hectares | 16.61 million hectares | 16.78 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More agriculture & rural data for Spain
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0268 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,036 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0113 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1949 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cropland area in Spain?
- Cropland area in Spain was 16.61 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 21.18 million hectares in 1971.
- What is the lowest cropland area recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.61 million hectares in 2023.
- How does Spain rank for cropland area?
- Spain ranks 24th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cropland area rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain 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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