Cropland extent over the long-term in Ireland
Ireland: Cropland extent over the long-term was 436,500 hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
436,500 hectares
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
135th
of 202 countries
All-time high
2.28 million hectares
in 1830
All-time low
250,796 hectares
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025
Cropland extent over the long-term in Ireland, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cropland extent over the long-term in Ireland is 436,500 hectares, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cropland extent over the long-term in Ireland peaked at 2.28 million hectares in 1830 and was at its lowest, 250,796 hectares, in 1000.
Ireland ranks 135th of 202 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Cropland extent over the long-term in Ireland, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 | 250,796 hectares | — |
| 1100 | 321,003 hectares | +28.0% |
| 1200 | 459,585 hectares | +43.2% |
| 1300 | 580,464 hectares | +26.3% |
| 1400 | 408,064 hectares | -29.7% |
| 1500 | 502,056 hectares | +23.0% |
| 1600 | 705,451 hectares | +40.5% |
| 1700 | 1.21 million hectares | +71.0% |
| 1710 | 1.44 million hectares | +19.8% |
| 1720 | 1.46 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1730 | 1.48 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1740 | 1.49 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1750 | 1.50 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1760 | 1.47 million hectares | -2.3% |
| 1770 | 1.43 million hectares | -2.5% |
| 1780 | 1.55 million hectares | +8.6% |
| 1790 | 1.79 million hectares | +15.2% |
| 1800 | 1.85 million hectares | +3.4% |
| 1810 | 2.02 million hectares | +9.3% |
| 1820 | 2.24 million hectares | +10.9% |
| 1830 | 2.28 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1840 | 2.19 million hectares | -4.1% |
| 1850 | 1.80 million hectares | -17.6% |
| 1860 | 1.39 million hectares | -22.8% |
| 1870 | 1.17 million hectares | -15.9% |
| 1880 | 1.31 million hectares | +12.3% |
| 1890 | 1.17 million hectares | -10.5% |
| 1900 | 1.10 million hectares | -6.5% |
| 1910 | 1.06 million hectares | -3.2% |
| 1920 | 1.05 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 1930 | 697,682 hectares | -33.5% |
| 1940 | 698,754 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1950 | 681,925 hectares | -2.4% |
| 1951 | 683,178 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1952 | 683,242 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 681,988 hectares | -0.2% |
| 1954 | 679,425 hectares | -0.4% |
| 1955 | 675,713 hectares | -0.5% |
| 1956 | 671,151 hectares | -0.7% |
| 1957 | 666,184 hectares | -0.7% |
| 1958 | 661,370 hectares | -0.7% |
| 1959 | 657,325 hectares | -0.6% |
| 1960 | 654,600 hectares | -0.4% |
| 1961 | 654,600 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 649,800 hectares | -0.7% |
| 1963 | 618,100 hectares | -4.9% |
| 1964 | 588,600 hectares | -4.8% |
| 1965 | 570,300 hectares | -3.1% |
| 1966 | 516,100 hectares | -9.5% |
| 1967 | 531,100 hectares | +2.9% |
| 1968 | 532,500 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 518,300 hectares | -2.7% |
| 1970 | 535,200 hectares | +3.3% |
| 1971 | 537,500 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 511,700 hectares | -4.8% |
| 1973 | 484,200 hectares | -5.4% |
| 1974 | 472,500 hectares | -2.4% |
| 1975 | 459,500 hectares | -2.8% |
| 1976 | 476,000 hectares | +3.6% |
| 1977 | 504,800 hectares | +6.1% |
| 1978 | 509,300 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 520,200 hectares | +2.1% |
| 1980 | 555,500 hectares | +6.8% |
| 1981 | 533,100 hectares | -4.0% |
| 1982 | 519,200 hectares | -2.6% |
| 1983 | 500,500 hectares | -3.6% |
| 1984 | 517,400 hectares | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 507,600 hectares | -1.9% |
| 1986 | 468,900 hectares | -7.6% |
| 1987 | 441,000 hectares | -6.0% |
| 1988 | 424,100 hectares | -3.8% |
| 1989 | 417,400 hectares | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 397,600 hectares | -4.7% |
| 1991 | 394,700 hectares | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 395,900 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 406,900 hectares | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 403,300 hectares | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 399,600 hectares | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 406,700 hectares | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 427,800 hectares | +5.2% |
| 1998 | 448,900 hectares | +4.9% |
| 1999 | 470,000 hectares | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 490,100 hectares | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 511,200 hectares | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 520,200 hectares | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 533,230 hectares | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 523,650 hectares | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 491,690 hectares | -6.1% |
| 2006 | 470,080 hectares | -4.4% |
| 2007 | 468,450 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 488,350 hectares | +4.2% |
| 2009 | 465,590 hectares | -4.7% |
| 2010 | 440,840 hectares | -5.3% |
| 2011 | 460,140 hectares | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 483,610 hectares | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 475,040 hectares | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 466,180 hectares | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 454,000 hectares | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 462,000 hectares | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 462,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 452,000 hectares | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 444,000 hectares | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 445,000 hectares | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 437,000 hectares | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 447,000 hectares | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 439,900 hectares | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 438,200 hectares | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 436,500 hectares | -0.4% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 436,500 hectares is below the median for high income countries, which is 666,510 hectares, 65% of the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 436,500 hectares is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.64 million hectares, 27% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cropland extent over the long-term in Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1700 | +71.0% | 705,451 hectares | 1.21 million hectares |
| 1200 | +43.2% | 321,003 hectares | 459,585 hectares |
| 1600 | +40.5% | 502,056 hectares | 705,451 hectares |
| 1930 | -33.5% | 1.05 million hectares | 697,682 hectares |
| 1400 | -29.7% | 580,464 hectares | 408,064 hectares |
| 1100 | +28.0% | 250,796 hectares | 321,003 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 250,796 hectares | 250,796 hectares | 250,796 hectares | 1 |
| 1100s | 321,003 hectares | 321,003 hectares | 321,003 hectares | 1 |
| 1200s | 459,585 hectares | 459,585 hectares | 459,585 hectares | 1 |
| 1300s | 580,464 hectares | 580,464 hectares | 580,464 hectares | 1 |
| 1400s | 408,064 hectares | 408,064 hectares | 408,064 hectares | 1 |
| 1500s | 502,056 hectares | 502,056 hectares | 502,056 hectares | 1 |
| 1600s | 705,451 hectares | 705,451 hectares | 705,451 hectares | 1 |
| 1700s | 1.21 million hectares | 1.21 million hectares | 1.21 million hectares | 1 |
| 1710s | 1.44 million hectares | 1.44 million hectares | 1.44 million hectares | 1 |
| 1720s | 1.46 million hectares | 1.46 million hectares | 1.46 million hectares | 1 |
| 1730s | 1.48 million hectares | 1.48 million hectares | 1.48 million hectares | 1 |
| 1740s | 1.49 million hectares | 1.49 million hectares | 1.49 million hectares | 1 |
| 1750s | 1.50 million hectares | 1.50 million hectares | 1.50 million hectares | 1 |
| 1760s | 1.47 million hectares | 1.47 million hectares | 1.47 million hectares | 1 |
| 1770s | 1.43 million hectares | 1.43 million hectares | 1.43 million hectares | 1 |
| 1780s | 1.55 million hectares | 1.55 million hectares | 1.55 million hectares | 1 |
| 1790s | 1.79 million hectares | 1.79 million hectares | 1.79 million hectares | 1 |
| 1800s | 1.85 million hectares | 1.85 million hectares | 1.85 million hectares | 1 |
| 1810s | 2.02 million hectares | 2.02 million hectares | 2.02 million hectares | 1 |
| 1820s | 2.24 million hectares | 2.24 million hectares | 2.24 million hectares | 1 |
| 1830s | 2.28 million hectares | 2.28 million hectares | 2.28 million hectares | 1 |
| 1840s | 2.19 million hectares | 2.19 million hectares | 2.19 million hectares | 1 |
| 1850s | 1.80 million hectares | 1.80 million hectares | 1.80 million hectares | 1 |
| 1860s | 1.39 million hectares | 1.39 million hectares | 1.39 million hectares | 1 |
| 1870s | 1.17 million hectares | 1.17 million hectares | 1.17 million hectares | 1 |
| 1880s | 1.31 million hectares | 1.31 million hectares | 1.31 million hectares | 1 |
| 1890s | 1.17 million hectares | 1.17 million hectares | 1.17 million hectares | 1 |
| 1900s | 1.10 million hectares | 1.10 million hectares | 1.10 million hectares | 1 |
| 1910s | 1.06 million hectares | 1.06 million hectares | 1.06 million hectares | 1 |
| 1920s | 1.05 million hectares | 1.05 million hectares | 1.05 million hectares | 1 |
| 1930s | 697,682 hectares | 697,682 hectares | 697,682 hectares | 1 |
| 1940s | 698,754 hectares | 698,754 hectares | 698,754 hectares | 1 |
| 1950s | 674,150 hectares | 657,325 hectares | 683,242 hectares | 10 |
| 1960s | 583,400 hectares | 516,100 hectares | 654,600 hectares | 10 |
| 1970s | 501,090 hectares | 459,500 hectares | 537,500 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 488,470 hectares | 417,400 hectares | 555,500 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 415,140 hectares | 394,700 hectares | 470,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 496,254 hectares | 465,590 hectares | 533,230 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 459,981 hectares | 440,840 hectares | 483,610 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 440,600 hectares | 436,500 hectares | 447,000 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More agriculture & rural data for Ireland
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.388 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.0796 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate -1.23 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 0.7634 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 22.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0106 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,391 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.9559 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cropland extent over the long-term in Ireland?
- Cropland extent over the long-term in Ireland was 436,500 hectares in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cropland extent over the long-term recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.28 million hectares in 1830.
- What is the lowest cropland extent over the long-term recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 250,796 hectares in 1000.
- How does Ireland rank for cropland extent over the long-term?
- Ireland ranks 135th out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is cropland extent over the long-term rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Cropland extent over the long-term. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total cropland area for each separate country over time.