Share of land area used for agriculture in Maldives
Maldives: Share of land area used for agriculture was 19.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for agriculture in Maldives, 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
The most recent figure for share of land area used for agriculture in Maldives is 19.8%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and down 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for agriculture in Maldives peaked at 40.0% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 16.7%, in 1961.
Maldives ranks 152nd 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 Maldives, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 16.7% | — |
| 1962 | 16.7% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 16.7% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 16.7% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 16.7% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 16.7% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 16.7% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 16.7% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 16.7% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 16.7% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 20.0% | +20.0% |
| 1972 | 20.0% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 23.3% | +16.7% |
| 1974 | 23.3% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 23.3% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 23.3% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 23.3% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 23.3% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 23.3% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 23.3% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 23.3% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 26.7% | +14.3% |
| 1983 | 26.7% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 26.7% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 26.7% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 26.7% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 26.7% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 26.7% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 26.7% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 26.7% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 26.7% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 26.7% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 26.7% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 26.7% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 26.7% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 26.7% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 26.7% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 26.7% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 26.7% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 30.0% | +12.5% |
| 2001 | 33.3% | +11.1% |
| 2002 | 40.0% | +20.0% |
| 2003 | 40.0% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 36.7% | -8.3% |
| 2005 | 30.0% | -18.2% |
| 2006 | 23.3% | -22.2% |
| 2007 | 23.3% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 23.3% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 23.3% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 23.0% | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 23.0% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 21.3% | -7.2% |
| 2013 | 21.3% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 21.3% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 21.3% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 21.3% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 21.3% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 21.3% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 21.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 21.3% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 19.7% | -7.8% |
| 2022 | 19.7% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 19.8% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 16.7% | 16.7% | 16.7% | 9 |
| 1970s | 22.0% | 16.7% | 23.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 26.0% | 23.3% | 26.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 26.7% | 26.7% | 26.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 30.3% | 23.3% | 40.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.7% | 21.3% | 23.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.1% | 19.7% | 21.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Maldives
More agriculture & rural data for Maldives
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 30.99 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0459 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 670.93 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.5233 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5749 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for agriculture in Maldives?
- Share of land area used for agriculture in Maldives was 19.8% 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 Maldives?
- The highest recorded value was 40.0% in 2002.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Maldives?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.7% in 1961.
- How does Maldives rank for share of land area used for agriculture?
- Maldives ranks 152nd out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for agriculture rising or falling in Maldives?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Maldives 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.