Permanent cropland in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Permanent cropland was 1.12 million hectares in 2011. ▲ Rising
Permanent cropland in Ethiopia, 1961–2011
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2011, permanent cropland in Ethiopia stood at 1.12 million hectares. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
That represents a change of up 7.8% on the previous year and up 60.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, permanent cropland in Ethiopia peaked at 1.12 million hectares in 2011 and was at its lowest, 486,000 hectares, in 1961.
Ethiopia ranks 9th of 52 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Permanent cropland in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 486,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 490,000 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 499,000 hectares | +1.8% |
| 1964 | 499,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 530,000 hectares | +6.2% |
| 1966 | 600,000 hectares | +13.2% |
| 1967 | 650,000 hectares | +8.3% |
| 1968 | 720,000 hectares | +10.8% |
| 1969 | 720,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 720,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 730,000 hectares | +1.4% |
| 1972 | 730,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 730,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 730,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 730,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 730,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 730,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 729,000 hectares | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 722,000 hectares | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 715,000 hectares | -1.0% |
| 1981 | 710,000 hectares | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 705,000 hectares | -0.7% |
| 1983 | 698,000 hectares | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 690,000 hectares | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 690,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 685,000 hectares | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 680,000 hectares | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 675,000 hectares | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 670,000 hectares | -0.7% |
| 1990 | 662,000 hectares | -1.2% |
| 1991 | 658,000 hectares | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 655,000 hectares | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 540,000 hectares | -17.6% |
| 1994 | 540,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 560,000 hectares | +3.7% |
| 1996 | 573,000 hectares | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 592,000 hectares | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 558,000 hectares | -5.7% |
| 1999 | 676,000 hectares | +21.1% |
| 2000 | 662,000 hectares | -2.1% |
| 2001 | 697,000 hectares | +5.3% |
| 2002 | 668,000 hectares | -4.2% |
| 2003 | 679,000 hectares | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 679,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 737,000 hectares | +8.5% |
| 2006 | 768,000 hectares | +4.2% |
| 2007 | 823,000 hectares | +7.2% |
| 2008 | 1.04 million hectares | +26.2% |
| 2009 | 907,000 hectares | -12.7% |
| 2010 | 1.04 million hectares | +14.3% |
| 2011 | 1.12 million hectares | +7.8% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 1.12 million hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 147,500 hectares, 7.6× the median. (20 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 1.12 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 130,000 hectares, 8.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Permanent cropland in Ethiopia 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 | +26.2% | 823,000 hectares | 1.04 million hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 577,111 hectares | 486,000 hectares | 720,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 728,100 hectares | 720,000 hectares | 730,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 691,800 hectares | 670,000 hectares | 715,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 601,400 hectares | 540,000 hectares | 676,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 765,900 hectares | 662,000 hectares | 1.04 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.08 million hectares | 1.04 million hectares | 1.12 million hectares | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More agriculture & rural data for Ethiopia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -20.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3282 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 306.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.93 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0008 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7589 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 32.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 32.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 9.7% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is permanent cropland in Ethiopia?
- Permanent cropland in Ethiopia was 1.12 million hectares in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.
- What is the highest permanent cropland recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.12 million hectares in 2011.
- What is the lowest permanent cropland recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 486,000 hectares in 1961.
- How does Ethiopia rank for permanent cropland?
- Ethiopia ranks 9th out of 52 countries with data for 2011.
- Is permanent cropland rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 60.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site, published as part of Permanent cropland (hectares). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Permanent cropland is land cultivated with crops that occupy the land for long periods and need not be replanted after each harvest, such as cocoa, coffee, and rubber. This category includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, but excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber.