Land area per crop type in Australia
Australia: Land area per crop type was 41,335 hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
41,335 hectares
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
17th
of 66 countries
All-time high
74,619 hectares
in 1986
All-time low
14,632 hectares
in 1975
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Land area per crop type in Australia, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2024, land area per crop type in Australia stood at 41,335 hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land area per crop type in Australia peaked at 74,619 hectares in 1986 and was at its lowest, 14,632 hectares, in 1975.
That places Australia 17th out of 66 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Land area per crop type in Australia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 25,375 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 23,493 hectares | -7.4% |
| 1963 | 23,353 hectares | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 29,047 hectares | +24.4% |
| 1965 | 26,227 hectares | -9.7% |
| 1966 | 35,489 hectares | +35.3% |
| 1967 | 34,553 hectares | -2.6% |
| 1968 | 39,254 hectares | +13.6% |
| 1969 | 34,244 hectares | -12.8% |
| 1970 | 40,707 hectares | +18.9% |
| 1971 | 41,458 hectares | +1.8% |
| 1972 | 28,198 hectares | -32.0% |
| 1973 | 28,062 hectares | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 16,178 hectares | -42.3% |
| 1975 | 14,632 hectares | -9.6% |
| 1976 | 20,648 hectares | +41.1% |
| 1977 | 33,599 hectares | +62.7% |
| 1978 | 49,961 hectares | +48.7% |
| 1979 | 26,402 hectares | -47.2% |
| 1980 | 20,650 hectares | -21.8% |
| 1981 | 35,000 hectares | +69.5% |
| 1982 | 41,966 hectares | +19.9% |
| 1983 | 51,781 hectares | +23.4% |
| 1984 | 31,472 hectares | -39.2% |
| 1985 | 48,263 hectares | +53.4% |
| 1986 | 74,619 hectares | +54.6% |
| 1987 | 42,074 hectares | -43.6% |
| 1988 | 34,620 hectares | -17.7% |
| 1989 | 37,440 hectares | +8.1% |
| 1990 | 32,000 hectares | -14.5% |
| 1991 | 42,000 hectares | +31.2% |
| 1992 | 42,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 30,200 hectares | -28.1% |
| 1994 | 35,000 hectares | +15.9% |
| 1995 | 35,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 35,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 35,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 35,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 35,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 35,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 35,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 35,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 35,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 35,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 35,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 35,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 35,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 61,500 hectares | +75.7% |
| 2009 | 49,613 hectares | -19.3% |
| 2010 | 47,670 hectares | -3.9% |
| 2011 | 47,514 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 60,000 hectares | +26.3% |
| 2013 | 47,057 hectares | -21.6% |
| 2014 | 45,010 hectares | -4.4% |
| 2015 | 44,846 hectares | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 43,446 hectares | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 40,000 hectares | -7.9% |
| 2018 | 41,494 hectares | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 41,494 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 41,147 hectares | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 41,378 hectares | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 41,340 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 41,288 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 41,335 hectares | +0.1% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 41,335 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 14,325 hectares, 2.9× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Australia's 41,335 hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 41,335 hectares, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Land area per crop type in Australia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | +75.7% | 35,000 hectares | 61,500 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 30,115 hectares | 23,353 hectares | 39,254 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 29,984 hectares | 14,632 hectares | 49,961 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 41,788 hectares | 20,650 hectares | 74,619 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 35,620 hectares | 30,200 hectares | 42,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 39,111 hectares | 35,000 hectares | 61,500 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 45,853 hectares | 40,000 hectares | 60,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 41,298 hectares | 41,147 hectares | 41,378 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More agriculture & rural data for Australia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0227 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,476 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5855 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1228 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land area per crop type in Australia?
- Land area per crop type in Australia was 41,335 hectares in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land area per crop type recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 74,619 hectares in 1986.
- What is the lowest land area per crop type recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 14,632 hectares in 1975.
- How does Australia rank for land area per crop type?
- Australia ranks 17th out of 66 countries with data for 2024.
- Is land area per crop type rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia 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 Land area per crop type. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).