Cropland area in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Cropland area was 4.07 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
4.07 million hectares
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
65th
of 224 countries
All-time high
4.29 million hectares
in 2008
All-time low
995,609 hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Cropland area in Zimbabwe, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cropland area in Zimbabwe is 4.07 million hectares, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cropland area in Zimbabwe peaked at 4.29 million hectares in 2008 and was at its lowest, 995,609 hectares, in 1961.
That places Zimbabwe 65th out of 224 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Cropland area in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 995,609 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 1.03 million hectares | +3.8% |
| 1963 | 1.10 million hectares | +6.3% |
| 1964 | 1.13 million hectares | +3.1% |
| 1965 | 1.18 million hectares | +3.9% |
| 1966 | 1.16 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 1967 | 1.22 million hectares | +5.9% |
| 1968 | 1.24 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1969 | 1.33 million hectares | +7.2% |
| 1970 | 1.40 million hectares | +4.8% |
| 1971 | 1.48 million hectares | +6.0% |
| 1972 | 1.59 million hectares | +7.0% |
| 1973 | 1.64 million hectares | +3.7% |
| 1974 | 1.74 million hectares | +5.6% |
| 1975 | 1.79 million hectares | +3.3% |
| 1976 | 1.84 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 1977 | 1.93 million hectares | +4.9% |
| 1978 | 1.95 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 1.99 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 1980 | 2.07 million hectares | +3.8% |
| 1981 | 2.20 million hectares | +6.0% |
| 1982 | 2.28 million hectares | +3.9% |
| 1983 | 2.46 million hectares | +7.9% |
| 1984 | 2.52 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 2.58 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 2.69 million hectares | +4.6% |
| 1987 | 2.59 million hectares | -3.7% |
| 1988 | 2.69 million hectares | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 2.93 million hectares | +8.9% |
| 1990 | 3.04 million hectares | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 3.10 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 2.84 million hectares | -8.3% |
| 1993 | 2.94 million hectares | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 3.22 million hectares | +9.2% |
| 1995 | 3.19 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 3.38 million hectares | +5.8% |
| 1997 | 3.31 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 3.29 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 3.51 million hectares | +6.7% |
| 2000 | 3.76 million hectares | +7.1% |
| 2001 | 3.66 million hectares | -2.7% |
| 2002 | 3.71 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 3.71 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 3.86 million hectares | +4.0% |
| 2005 | 3.96 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 4.15 million hectares | +5.0% |
| 2007 | 4.05 million hectares | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 4.29 million hectares | +5.9% |
| 2009 | 4.14 million hectares | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 4.04 million hectares | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 4.24 million hectares | +5.0% |
| 2012 | 4.09 million hectares | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 4.09 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 4.09 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 4.08 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 4.08 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 4.08 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 4.08 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 4.08 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 4.08 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 4.07 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 4.07 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 4.07 million hectares | -0.1% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 4.07 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.82 million hectares, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 4.07 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.21 million hectares, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.16 million hectares | 995,609 hectares | 1.33 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.74 million hectares | 1.40 million hectares | 1.99 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.50 million hectares | 2.07 million hectares | 2.93 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.18 million hectares | 2.84 million hectares | 3.51 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.93 million hectares | 3.66 million hectares | 4.29 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.09 million hectares | 4.04 million hectares | 4.24 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.07 million hectares | 4.07 million hectares | 4.08 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More agriculture & rural data for Zimbabwe
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 34.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0947 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 286.19 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.8815 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.595 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 9.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 9.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cropland area in Zimbabwe?
- Cropland area in Zimbabwe was 4.07 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 4.29 million hectares in 2008.
- What is the lowest cropland area recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 995,609 hectares in 1961.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for cropland area?
- Zimbabwe ranks 65th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cropland area rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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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