Land area equipped for irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Land area equipped for irrigation was 7.29 million hectares in 2011. ▲ Rising
Latest (2011)
7.29 million hectares
Change on year
up 0.9%
Rank
2nd
of 6 groups
All-time high
7.29 million hectares
in 2011
All-time low
3.48 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
51
1961–2011
Land area equipped for irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1961–2011
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2011, land area equipped for irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) stood at 7.29 million hectares. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land area equipped for irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 7.29 million hectares in 2011 and was at its lowest, 3.48 million hectares, in 1961.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Land area equipped for irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3.48 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 3.54 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 1963 | 3.59 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 3.64 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 1965 | 3.71 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 1966 | 3.76 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1967 | 3.83 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1968 | 3.88 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 1969 | 3.94 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 1970 | 4.04 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 1971 | 4.11 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1972 | 4.14 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 4.23 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 1974 | 4.31 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1975 | 4.39 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1976 | 4.49 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1977 | 4.60 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 1978 | 4.73 million hectares | +2.9% |
| 1979 | 4.81 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1980 | 4.90 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 4.98 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 5.04 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 5.10 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 5.20 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 5.34 million hectares | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 5.51 million hectares | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 5.60 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 5.69 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 5.82 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 5.94 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 1991 | 5.98 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 6.09 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 6.32 million hectares | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 6.37 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 6.52 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 6.58 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 6.73 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 6.82 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 6.93 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 7.02 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 7.06 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 7.11 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 7.14 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 7.15 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 7.18 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 7.20 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 7.20 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 7.21 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 7.22 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 7.22 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 7.29 million hectares | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.71 million hectares | 3.48 million hectares | 3.94 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 4.38 million hectares | 4.04 million hectares | 4.81 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.32 million hectares | 4.90 million hectares | 5.82 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.43 million hectares | 5.94 million hectares | 6.93 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.15 million hectares | 7.02 million hectares | 7.22 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.25 million hectares | 7.22 million hectares | 7.29 million hectares | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- 1 Egypt 3.67 million hectares compare
- 2 Sudan 1.89 million hectares compare
- 3 South Africa 1.60 million hectares compare
- 4 Morocco 1.46 million hectares compare
- 5 Madagascar 1.09 million hectares compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5534 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.90 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 17.9% (2025)
- Rural population 731.36 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Rural population 55.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1792 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land area equipped for irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Land area equipped for irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 7.29 million hectares in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.
- What is the highest land area equipped for irrigation recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 7.29 million hectares in 2011.
- What is the lowest land area equipped for irrigation recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.48 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for land area equipped for irrigation?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 2nd out of 6 groups with data for 2011.
- Is land area equipped for irrigation rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site, published as part of Land area equipped for irrigation (hectares). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Area equipped to provide water (via irrigation) to the crops. It includes areas equipped for full and partial control irrigation, equipped lowland areas, pastures, and areas equipped for spate irrigation. Data are expressed in 1000 hectares.