Cropland extent over the long-term in Japan
Japan: Cropland extent over the long-term was 4.25 million hectares in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
4.25 million hectares
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
62nd
of 202 countries
All-time high
6.03 million hectares
in 1964
All-time low
801,351 hectares
in 1200
Years of data
108
1000–2025
Cropland extent over the long-term in Japan, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2025, cropland extent over the long-term in Japan stood at 4.25 million hectares.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cropland extent over the long-term in Japan peaked at 6.03 million hectares in 1964 and was at its lowest, 801,351 hectares, in 1200.
Japan ranks 62nd of 202 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 108 years of available data.
Cropland extent over the long-term in Japan, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 | 960,000 hectares | — |
| 1100 | 992,000 hectares | +3.3% |
| 1200 | 801,351 hectares | -19.2% |
| 1300 | 877,938 hectares | +9.6% |
| 1400 | 1.07 million hectares | +21.7% |
| 1500 | 1.34 million hectares | +25.4% |
| 1600 | 1.74 million hectares | +29.7% |
| 1700 | 2.52 million hectares | +45.2% |
| 1710 | 2.72 million hectares | +7.6% |
| 1720 | 2.69 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1730 | 2.67 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1740 | 2.64 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1750 | 2.62 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1760 | 2.57 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 1770 | 2.53 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 1780 | 2.48 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 1790 | 2.44 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 1800 | 2.39 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 1810 | 2.43 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1820 | 2.46 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 1830 | 2.50 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 1840 | 2.53 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1850 | 2.56 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1860 | 2.61 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 1870 | 2.66 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1880 | 2.81 million hectares | +5.4% |
| 1890 | 3.00 million hectares | +7.0% |
| 1900 | 3.29 million hectares | +9.7% |
| 1910 | 3.63 million hectares | +10.3% |
| 1920 | 3.96 million hectares | +8.9% |
| 1930 | 4.46 million hectares | +12.7% |
| 1940 | 4.94 million hectares | +10.8% |
| 1950 | 5.46 million hectares | +10.4% |
| 1951 | 5.54 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1952 | 5.62 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1953 | 5.68 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1954 | 5.74 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1955 | 5.79 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1956 | 5.84 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1957 | 5.88 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1958 | 5.93 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1959 | 5.97 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1960 | 6.01 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1961 | 6.01 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 6.02 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 6.02 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 6.03 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 6.00 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1966 | 6.00 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 5.94 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 5.90 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1969 | 5.75 million hectares | -2.5% |
| 1970 | 5.80 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1971 | 5.74 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1972 | 5.68 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1973 | 5.65 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1974 | 5.62 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 5.57 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 5.54 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 5.51 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 5.49 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 5.47 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 5.46 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 5.44 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 5.43 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 5.41 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 5.40 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 5.38 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 5.36 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 5.34 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 5.32 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 5.28 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1990 | 5.24 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 5.20 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 5.17 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 5.12 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 5.08 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 5.04 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 4.99 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 4.95 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 4.91 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 4.87 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 4.83 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 4.79 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 4.76 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 4.74 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 4.71 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 4.69 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 4.67 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 4.65 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 4.63 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 4.61 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 4.59 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 4.56 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 4.55 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 4.54 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 4.52 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 4.50 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 4.47 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 4.44 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 4.42 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 4.40 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 4.37 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 4.35 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 4.33 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 4.30 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 4.28 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 4.25 million hectares | -0.6% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 4.25 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 666,510 hectares, 6.4× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Japan's 4.25 million hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.22 million hectares, 3.5× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cropland extent over the long-term in Japan 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 | +45.2% | 1.74 million hectares | 2.52 million hectares |
| 1600 | +29.7% | 1.34 million hectares | 1.74 million hectares |
| 1500 | +25.4% | 1.07 million hectares | 1.34 million hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 960,000 hectares | 960,000 hectares | 960,000 hectares | 1 |
| 1100s | 992,000 hectares | 992,000 hectares | 992,000 hectares | 1 |
| 1200s | 801,351 hectares | 801,351 hectares | 801,351 hectares | 1 |
| 1300s | 877,938 hectares | 877,938 hectares | 877,938 hectares | 1 |
| 1400s | 1.07 million hectares | 1.07 million hectares | 1.07 million hectares | 1 |
| 1500s | 1.34 million hectares | 1.34 million hectares | 1.34 million hectares | 1 |
| 1600s | 1.74 million hectares | 1.74 million hectares | 1.74 million hectares | 1 |
| 1700s | 2.52 million hectares | 2.52 million hectares | 2.52 million hectares | 1 |
| 1710s | 2.72 million hectares | 2.72 million hectares | 2.72 million hectares | 1 |
| 1720s | 2.69 million hectares | 2.69 million hectares | 2.69 million hectares | 1 |
| 1730s | 2.67 million hectares | 2.67 million hectares | 2.67 million hectares | 1 |
| 1740s | 2.64 million hectares | 2.64 million hectares | 2.64 million hectares | 1 |
| 1750s | 2.62 million hectares | 2.62 million hectares | 2.62 million hectares | 1 |
| 1760s | 2.57 million hectares | 2.57 million hectares | 2.57 million hectares | 1 |
| 1770s | 2.53 million hectares | 2.53 million hectares | 2.53 million hectares | 1 |
| 1780s | 2.48 million hectares | 2.48 million hectares | 2.48 million hectares | 1 |
| 1790s | 2.44 million hectares | 2.44 million hectares | 2.44 million hectares | 1 |
| 1800s | 2.39 million hectares | 2.39 million hectares | 2.39 million hectares | 1 |
| 1810s | 2.43 million hectares | 2.43 million hectares | 2.43 million hectares | 1 |
| 1820s | 2.46 million hectares | 2.46 million hectares | 2.46 million hectares | 1 |
| 1830s | 2.50 million hectares | 2.50 million hectares | 2.50 million hectares | 1 |
| 1840s | 2.53 million hectares | 2.53 million hectares | 2.53 million hectares | 1 |
| 1850s | 2.56 million hectares | 2.56 million hectares | 2.56 million hectares | 1 |
| 1860s | 2.61 million hectares | 2.61 million hectares | 2.61 million hectares | 1 |
| 1870s | 2.66 million hectares | 2.66 million hectares | 2.66 million hectares | 1 |
| 1880s | 2.81 million hectares | 2.81 million hectares | 2.81 million hectares | 1 |
| 1890s | 3.00 million hectares | 3.00 million hectares | 3.00 million hectares | 1 |
| 1900s | 3.29 million hectares | 3.29 million hectares | 3.29 million hectares | 1 |
| 1910s | 3.63 million hectares | 3.63 million hectares | 3.63 million hectares | 1 |
| 1920s | 3.96 million hectares | 3.96 million hectares | 3.96 million hectares | 1 |
| 1930s | 4.46 million hectares | 4.46 million hectares | 4.46 million hectares | 1 |
| 1940s | 4.94 million hectares | 4.94 million hectares | 4.94 million hectares | 1 |
| 1950s | 5.75 million hectares | 5.46 million hectares | 5.97 million hectares | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.97 million hectares | 5.75 million hectares | 6.03 million hectares | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.61 million hectares | 5.47 million hectares | 5.80 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.38 million hectares | 5.28 million hectares | 5.46 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.06 million hectares | 4.87 million hectares | 5.24 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.71 million hectares | 4.61 million hectares | 4.83 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.50 million hectares | 4.40 million hectares | 4.59 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.31 million hectares | 4.25 million hectares | 4.37 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More agriculture & rural data for Japan
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.5564 % 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 0.0345 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.6075 % 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 0.0369 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.95 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0096 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 323.87 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.89 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cropland extent over the long-term in Japan?
- Cropland extent over the long-term in Japan was 4.25 million 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 6.03 million hectares in 1964.
- What is the lowest cropland extent over the long-term recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 801,351 hectares in 1200.
- How does Japan rank for cropland extent over the long-term?
- Japan ranks 62nd out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is cropland extent over the long-term rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan 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.