Share of land area used for agriculture in Malta
Malta: Share of land area used for agriculture was 25.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of land area used for agriculture in Malta, 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 Malta stood at 25.9%. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 5.2% on the previous year and down 19.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for agriculture in Malta peaked at 56.2% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 25.9%, in 2023.
Malta ranks 135th of 209 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Share of land area used for agriculture in Malta, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 56.2% | — |
| 1962 | 53.1% | -5.6% |
| 1963 | 50.0% | -5.9% |
| 1964 | 46.9% | -6.2% |
| 1965 | 43.8% | -6.7% |
| 1966 | 43.8% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 43.8% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 43.8% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 43.8% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 43.8% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 43.8% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 43.8% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 43.8% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 43.8% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 40.6% | -7.1% |
| 1976 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 43.8% | +7.7% |
| 1978 | 43.8% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 43.8% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 40.6% | -7.1% |
| 1981 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 34.4% | -15.4% |
| 1996 | 34.4% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 31.2% | -9.1% |
| 1998 | 28.1% | -10.0% |
| 1999 | 28.1% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 28.1% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 31.2% | +11.1% |
| 2002 | 31.2% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 32.5% | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 31.2% | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 29.1% | -7.0% |
| 2006 | 29.1% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 29.1% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 29.1% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 29.1% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 32.3% | +11.1% |
| 2011 | 32.3% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 32.2% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 32.0% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 32.0% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 32.0% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 32.4% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 32.4% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 32.4% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 32.4% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 28.5% | -12.2% |
| 2021 | 27.3% | -4.0% |
| 2022 | 27.3% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 25.9% | -5.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 47.2% | 43.8% | 56.2% | 9 |
| 1970s | 43.1% | 40.6% | 43.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 40.6% | 40.6% | 40.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 35.9% | 28.1% | 40.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 30.0% | 28.1% | 32.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.2% | 32.0% | 32.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.3% | 25.9% | 28.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malta
More agriculture & rural data for Malta
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 6.05 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0047 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 224.75 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.0432 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.2% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for agriculture in Malta?
- Share of land area used for agriculture in Malta was 25.9% 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 Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 56.2% in 1961.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.9% in 2023.
- How does Malta rank for share of land area used for agriculture?
- Malta ranks 135th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for agriculture rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malta 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
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.