Land area in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Land area was 20.36 million sq. km in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
20.36 million sq. km
Change on year
down 0.0%
Rank
20th
of 47 groups
All-time high
20.36 million sq. km
in 2012
All-time low
16.61 million sq. km
in 1975
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land area in Least developed countries, 1961–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in sq. km.
Analysis
Least developed countries recorded 20.36 million sq. km for land area in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land area in Least developed countries peaked at 20.36 million sq. km in 2012 and was at its lowest, 16.61 million sq. km, in 1975.
That places Least developed countries 20th out of 47 groups 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.
Land area in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | sq. km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 16.61 million sq. km | — |
| 1962 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 16.61 million sq. km | -0.0% |
| 1975 | 16.61 million sq. km | -0.0% |
| 1976 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 16.61 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 17.71 million sq. km | +6.6% |
| 1994 | 17.71 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 17.71 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 17.71 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 17.71 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 17.71 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 17.71 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 17.71 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 17.71 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 17.71 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 17.71 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 17.86 million sq. km | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 17.86 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 17.86 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 17.86 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 17.86 million sq. km | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 17.86 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 17.86 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 17.86 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 20.36 million sq. km | +14.0% |
| 2013 | 20.36 million sq. km | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 20.36 million sq. km | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 20.36 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 20.36 million sq. km | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 20.36 million sq. km | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 20.36 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 20.36 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 20.36 million sq. km | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 20.36 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 20.36 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 20.36 million sq. km | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 16.61 million sq. km | 16.61 million sq. km | 16.61 million sq. km | 9 |
| 1970s | 16.61 million sq. km | 16.61 million sq. km | 16.61 million sq. km | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.61 million sq. km | 16.61 million sq. km | 16.61 million sq. km | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.38 million sq. km | 16.61 million sq. km | 17.71 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.80 million sq. km | 17.71 million sq. km | 17.86 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.86 million sq. km | 17.86 million sq. km | 20.36 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.36 million sq. km | 20.36 million sq. km | 20.36 million sq. km | 4 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
More agriculture & rural data for Least developed countries
- Rural population, per capita 0.6336 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 337.24 billion current US$ (2025)
- Rural population 769.36 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Rural population 63.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2019)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 3.1% (2023)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 277.75 current US$ per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8.67 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2039 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land area in Least developed countries?
- Land area in Least developed countries was 20.36 million sq. km in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest land area recorded in Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 20.36 million sq. km in 2012.
- What is the lowest land area recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.61 million sq. km in 1975.
- How does Least developed countries rank for land area?
- Least developed countries ranks 20th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is land area rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Least developed countries data come from?
- The figures come from FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Land area (sq. km). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.