Rice — Area harvested in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Rice — Area harvested was 1.13 million ha in 2024. ▲ Rising
Rice — Area harvested in Sri Lanka, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
In 2024, rice — area harvested in Sri Lanka stood at 1.13 million ha.
That represents a change of down 2.7% on the previous year and up 28.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rice — area harvested in Sri Lanka peaked at 1.21 million ha in 2015 and was at its lowest, 431,823 ha, in 1965.
Sri Lanka ranks 17th of 133 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Rice — Area harvested in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 495,550 ha | — |
| 1962 | 526,734 ha | +6.3% |
| 1963 | 535,080 ha | +1.6% |
| 1964 | 538,059 ha | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 431,823 ha | -19.7% |
| 1966 | 534,033 ha | +23.7% |
| 1967 | 544,793 ha | +2.0% |
| 1968 | 567,243 ha | +4.1% |
| 1969 | 536,349 ha | -5.4% |
| 1970 | 718,681 ha | +34.0% |
| 1971 | 693,771 ha | -3.5% |
| 1972 | 638,971 ha | -7.9% |
| 1973 | 671,689 ha | +5.1% |
| 1974 | 797,021 ha | +18.7% |
| 1975 | 597,229 ha | -25.1% |
| 1976 | 635,471 ha | +6.4% |
| 1977 | 782,285 ha | +23.1% |
| 1978 | 839,425 ha | +7.3% |
| 1979 | 789,562 ha | -5.9% |
| 1980 | 823,734 ha | +4.3% |
| 1981 | 842,473 ha | +2.3% |
| 1982 | 746,000 ha | -11.5% |
| 1983 | 776,656 ha | +4.1% |
| 1984 | 885,807 ha | +14.1% |
| 1985 | 864,677 ha | -2.4% |
| 1986 | 836,401 ha | -3.3% |
| 1987 | 679,417 ha | -18.8% |
| 1988 | 815,561 ha | +20.0% |
| 1989 | 689,753 ha | -15.4% |
| 1990 | 828,246 ha | +20.1% |
| 1991 | 790,664 ha | -4.5% |
| 1992 | 766,022 ha | -3.1% |
| 1993 | 819,766 ha | +7.0% |
| 1994 | 896,551 ha | +9.4% |
| 1995 | 889,589 ha | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 660,079 ha | -25.8% |
| 1997 | 690,079 ha | +4.5% |
| 1998 | 767,000 ha | +11.1% |
| 1999 | 870,800 ha | +13.5% |
| 2000 | 832,000 ha | -4.5% |
| 2001 | 765,040 ha | -8.0% |
| 2002 | 819,590 ha | +7.1% |
| 2003 | 911,440 ha | +11.2% |
| 2004 | 719,690 ha | -21.0% |
| 2005 | 915,260 ha | +27.2% |
| 2006 | 910,493 ha | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 816,713 ha | -10.3% |
| 2008 | 1.05 million ha | +28.9% |
| 2009 | 942,410 ha | -10.5% |
| 2010 | 1.06 million ha | +12.5% |
| 2011 | 1.09 million ha | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 1.07 million ha | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 1.19 million ha | +11.4% |
| 2014 | 881,000 ha | -25.8% |
| 2015 | 1.21 million ha | +37.5% |
| 2016 | 1.14 million ha | -5.8% |
| 2017 | 791,679 ha | -30.6% |
| 2018 | 1.04 million ha | +31.5% |
| 2019 | 957,596 ha | -8.0% |
| 2020 | 1.07 million ha | +11.4% |
| 2021 | 1.13 million ha | +5.6% |
| 2022 | 1.11 million ha | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 1.16 million ha | +4.4% |
| 2024 | 1.13 million ha | -2.7% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 1.13 million ha is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 40,875 ha, 27.7× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 1.13 million ha is below the median for South Asia, which is 1.42 million ha, 80% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 523,296 ha | 431,823 ha | 567,243 ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 716,410 ha | 597,229 ha | 839,425 ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 796,048 ha | 679,417 ha | 885,807 ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 797,880 ha | 660,079 ha | 896,551 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 868,563 ha | 719,690 ha | 1.05 million ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.04 million ha | 791,679 ha | 1.21 million ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.12 million ha | 1.07 million ha | 1.16 million ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 14 Brazil 1.59 million ha compare
- 14 Timor-Leste 28,574 ha compare
- 15 Côte d'Ivoire 811,177 ha compare
- 15 Japan 1.46 million ha compare
- 15 Melanesia 4,751 ha compare
- 16 Micronesia (Federated States of) 99 ha compare
- 16 Nepal 1.42 million ha compare
- 16 Micronesia 99 ha compare
- 18 Sierra Leone 987,345 ha compare
- 18 Syrian Arab Republic 20 ha compare
- 19 Mali 789,529 ha compare
- 20 Egypt 704,158 ha compare
- 20 Caribbean 281,862 ha compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sri Lanka
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0836 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 418.3 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9172 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7955 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rice — area harvested in Sri Lanka?
- Rice — area harvested in Sri Lanka was 1.13 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest rice — area harvested recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 1.21 million ha in 2015.
- What is the lowest rice — area harvested recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 431,823 ha in 1965.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for rice — area harvested?
- Sri Lanka ranks 17th out of 133 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rice — area harvested rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 28.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Rice — Area harvested. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Crop and livestock statistics are recorded for 278 products, covering the following categories: 1) CROPS PRIMARY: Cereals, Citrus Fruit, Fibre Crops, Fruit, Oil Crops, Oil Crops and Cakes in Oil Equivalent, Pulses, Roots and Tubers, Sugar Crops, Treenuts and Vegetables. Data are expressed in terms of area harvested, production quantity and yield. Cereals: Area and production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed or silage or used for grazing are therefore excluded. 2) CROPS PROCESSED: Beer of barley; Cotton lint; Cottonseed; Margarine, short; Molasses; Oil, coconut (copra); Oil, cottonseed; Oil, groundnut; Oil, linseed; Oil, maize; Oil, olive, virgin; Oil, palm; Oil, palm kernel; Oil, rapeseed; Oil, safflower; Oil, sesame; Oil, soybean; Oil, sunflower; Palm kernels; Sugar Raw Centrifugal; Wine. 3) LIVE ANIMALS: Animals live n.e.s.; Asses; Beehives; Buffaloes; Camelids, other; Camels; Cattle; Chickens; Ducks; Geese and guinea fowls; Goats; Horses; Mules; Pigeons, other birds; Pigs; Rabbits and hares; Rodents, other; Sheep; Turkeys. 4) LIVESTOCK PRIMARY: Beeswax; Eggs (various types); Hides buffalo, fresh; Hides, cattle, fresh; Honey, natural; Meat (ass, bird nes, buffalo, camel, cattle, chicken, duck, game, goat, goose and guinea fowl, horse, mule, Meat nes, meat other camelids, Meat other rodents, pig, rabbit, sheep, turkey); Milk (buffalo, camel, cow, goat, sheep); Offals, nes; Silk-worm cocoons, reelable; Skins (goat, sheep); Snails, not sea; Wool, greasy. 5) LIVESTOCK PROCESSED: Butter (of milk from sheep, goat, buffalo, cow); Cheese (of milk from goat, buffalo, sheep, cow milk); Cheese of skimmed cow milk; Cream fresh; Ghee (cow and buffalo milk); Lard; Milk (dry buttermilk, skimmed condensed, skimmed cow, skimmed dried, skimmed evaporated, whole condensed, whole dried, whole evaporated); Silk raw; Tallow; Whey (condensed and dry); Yoghurt.