Share of land area used for agriculture in Benin
Benin: Share of land area used for agriculture was 41.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for agriculture in Benin, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
Benin recorded 41.8% for share of land area used for agriculture in 2023.
That represents a change of down 2.9% on the previous year and up 18.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for agriculture in Benin peaked at 43.1% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 12.5%, in 1961.
Benin ranks 92nd of 209 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Share of land area used for agriculture in Benin, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 12.5% | — |
| 1962 | 12.7% | +1.5% |
| 1963 | 12.9% | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 13.1% | +1.2% |
| 1965 | 13.3% | +1.5% |
| 1966 | 13.5% | +2.0% |
| 1967 | 13.9% | +2.9% |
| 1968 | 14.2% | +2.0% |
| 1969 | 14.9% | +5.3% |
| 1970 | 15.1% | +1.3% |
| 1971 | 15.6% | +2.9% |
| 1972 | 15.8% | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 16.0% | +1.1% |
| 1974 | 16.3% | +1.5% |
| 1975 | 16.6% | +2.2% |
| 1976 | 16.8% | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 17.1% | +1.8% |
| 1978 | 17.3% | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 17.5% | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 17.8% | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 18.0% | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 18.4% | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 18.4% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 18.6% | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 18.9% | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 19.4% | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 19.5% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 19.6% | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 19.6% | -0.0% |
| 1990 | 20.1% | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 20.1% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 20.3% | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 20.6% | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 21.2% | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 22.3% | +5.3% |
| 1996 | 24.0% | +7.6% |
| 1997 | 25.6% | +6.8% |
| 1998 | 27.0% | +5.2% |
| 1999 | 27.5% | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 28.3% | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 28.9% | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 29.9% | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 30.8% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 30.7% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 30.8% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 29.6% | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 30.0% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 31.8% | +6.1% |
| 2009 | 33.2% | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 30.9% | -6.8% |
| 2011 | 32.1% | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 33.4% | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 35.3% | +5.7% |
| 2014 | 35.5% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 36.1% | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 34.4% | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 36.3% | +5.6% |
| 2018 | 39.6% | +9.0% |
| 2019 | 41.1% | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 39.3% | -4.3% |
| 2021 | 41.0% | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 43.1% | +5.0% |
| 2023 | 41.8% | -2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 13.5% | 12.5% | 14.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 16.4% | 15.1% | 17.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 18.8% | 17.8% | 19.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.9% | 20.1% | 27.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 30.4% | 28.3% | 33.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.5% | 30.9% | 41.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.3% | 39.3% | 43.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More agriculture & rural data for Benin
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8.16 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2292 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 380.06 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.6697 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4664 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 22.9% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 22.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 52.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.8% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for agriculture in Benin?
- Share of land area used for agriculture in Benin was 41.8% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 43.1% in 2022.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.5% in 1961.
- How does Benin rank for share of land area used for agriculture?
- Benin ranks 92nd out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for agriculture rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land area used for agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The share of land area used for agriculture, measured as a percentage of total land area. Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures.