Share of land area used for agriculture in Nepal
Nepal: Share of land area used for agriculture was 26.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for agriculture in Nepal, 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 Nepal stood at 26.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for agriculture in Nepal peaked at 29.7% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 24.8%, in 1961.
That places Nepal 133rd out of 209 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 Nepal, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 24.8% | — |
| 1962 | 24.8% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 24.9% | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 24.8% | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 24.8% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 24.8% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 24.9% | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 24.9% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 24.9% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 25.9% | +3.8% |
| 1971 | 25.9% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 26.7% | +3.2% |
| 1973 | 27.6% | +3.4% |
| 1974 | 27.9% | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 28.0% | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 28.1% | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 28.3% | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 28.4% | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 28.5% | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 28.6% | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 28.7% | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 28.7% | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 28.7% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 28.8% | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 28.8% | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 28.9% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 28.9% | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 28.9% | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 29.0% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 29.0% | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 29.0% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 29.1% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 29.2% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 29.2% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 29.3% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 29.4% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 29.5% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 29.5% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 29.6% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 29.6% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 29.7% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 29.6% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 29.5% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 29.4% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 29.3% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 29.2% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 29.1% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 29.0% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 28.9% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 28.8% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 28.8% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 28.5% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 28.3% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 28.2% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 28.0% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 27.7% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 27.5% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 27.0% | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 26.8% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 26.5% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 26.3% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 26.1% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 26.1% | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 24.9% | 24.8% | 24.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 27.5% | 25.9% | 28.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 28.8% | 28.6% | 29.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 29.3% | 29.0% | 29.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.3% | 28.9% | 29.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.0% | 26.8% | 28.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.3% | 26.1% | 26.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More agriculture & rural data for Nepal
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.5 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2156 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 331.1 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.7937 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.33 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 21.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 21.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.6% (2022)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.3% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for agriculture in Nepal?
- Share of land area used for agriculture in Nepal was 26.1% 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 29.7% in 2001.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.8% in 1961.
- How does Nepal rank for share of land area used for agriculture?
- Nepal ranks 133rd out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for agriculture rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal 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.