Cropland area in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Cropland area was 2.57 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
2.57 million hectares
Change on year
up 8.2%
World rank
80th
of 224 countries
All-time high
2.57 million hectares
in 2023
All-time low
1.52 million hectares
in 1962
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Cropland area in Sri Lanka, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 2.57 million hectares for cropland area in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.2% on the previous year and up 11.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cropland area in Sri Lanka peaked at 2.57 million hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.52 million hectares, in 1962.
Sri Lanka ranks 80th of 224 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Cropland area in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.54 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 1.52 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1963 | 1.88 million hectares | +23.2% |
| 1964 | 1.87 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1965 | 1.88 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 1.88 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 1.88 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 1.88 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 1.89 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 1.89 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 1.91 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 1.91 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 1.92 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 1.92 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 1.96 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1977 | 1.99 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1978 | 2.03 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 1.92 million hectares | -5.4% |
| 1980 | 1.91 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 1.91 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1.86 million hectares | -2.8% |
| 1983 | 1.87 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 1.87 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 1.88 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 1.89 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 1.90 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 1.91 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 1.88 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 1.88 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 1.89 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 1.89 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 1.89 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 1.89 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 1.91 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 1.91 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 1.91 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 1.92 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 1.95 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 1.85 million hectares | -5.0% |
| 2005 | 2.05 million hectares | +11.0% |
| 2006 | 1.99 million hectares | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 1.94 million hectares | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 2.16 million hectares | +11.1% |
| 2009 | 2.17 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 2.18 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 2.29 million hectares | +5.0% |
| 2012 | 2.30 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 2.30 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 2.30 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 2.30 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 2.31 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 2.32 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 2.37 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 2.37 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 2.37 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 2.37 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 2.37 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 2.57 million hectares | +8.2% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 2.57 million hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.58 million hectares, 1.6× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 2.57 million hectares is above the median for South Asia, which is 2.26 million hectares, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.80 million hectares | 1.52 million hectares | 1.89 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.94 million hectares | 1.89 million hectares | 2.03 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.89 million hectares | 1.86 million hectares | 1.91 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.89 million hectares | 1.88 million hectares | 1.91 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.98 million hectares | 1.85 million hectares | 2.17 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.30 million hectares | 2.18 million hectares | 2.37 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.42 million hectares | 2.37 million hectares | 2.57 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 77 Guatemala 2.74 million hectares compare
- 78 Central African Republic 2.68 million hectares compare
- 79 South Sudan 2.57 million hectares compare
- 81 Czechia 2.57 million hectares compare
- 82 North Korea 2.55 million hectares compare
- 83 Sweden 2.53 million hectares compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sri Lanka
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0836 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 418.3 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9172 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7955 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cropland area in Sri Lanka?
- Cropland area in Sri Lanka was 2.57 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 2.57 million hectares in 2023.
- What is the lowest cropland area recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.52 million hectares in 1962.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for cropland area?
- Sri Lanka ranks 80th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cropland area rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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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