Share of land area used for agriculture in Ghana
Ghana: Share of land area used for agriculture was 55.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for agriculture in Ghana, 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
In 2023, share of land area used for agriculture in Ghana stood at 55.4%.
The figure is up 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for agriculture in Ghana peaked at 59.7% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 51.4%, in 1961.
That places Ghana 48th out of 209 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Share of land area used for agriculture in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 51.4% | — |
| 1962 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 51.9% | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 51.9% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 51.9% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 52.3% | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 52.3% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 52.3% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 52.3% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 53.1% | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 53.1% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 54.0% | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 54.4% | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 54.3% | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 54.7% | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 55.1% | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 55.1% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 55.5% | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 55.9% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 55.9% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 56.3% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 56.7% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 57.6% | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 58.5% | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 59.7% | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 57.1% | -4.4% |
| 1999 | 57.4% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 56.1% | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 56.7% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 57.4% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 55.3% | -3.5% |
| 2004 | 52.2% | -5.7% |
| 2005 | 53.3% | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 52.9% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 54.8% | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 52.8% | -3.7% |
| 2009 | 54.1% | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 54.5% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 54.1% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 54.3% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 54.8% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 54.4% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 54.6% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 54.3% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 53.1% | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 53.7% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 54.8% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 55.4% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 55.4% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 55.4% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 55.4% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 51.4% | 51.4% | 51.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 51.7% | 51.4% | 52.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 53.8% | 52.3% | 55.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 57.0% | 55.5% | 59.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 54.6% | 52.2% | 57.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.3% | 53.1% | 54.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.4% | 55.4% | 55.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 45 El Salvador 57.7% compare
- 46 Hungary 55.7% compare
- 47 China 55.4% compare
- 49 Dominican Republic 55.4% compare
- 50 Romania 55.3% compare
- 51 Sierra Leone 54.7% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Ghana
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 41.79 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2128 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 692.99 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4821 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4108 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 21.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 21.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for agriculture in Ghana?
- Share of land area used for agriculture in Ghana was 55.4% 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 59.7% in 1997.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.4% in 1961.
- How does Ghana rank for share of land area used for agriculture?
- Ghana ranks 48th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for agriculture rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana 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.
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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.