Share of land area used for agriculture in Netherlands
Netherlands: Share of land area used for agriculture was 53.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of land area used for agriculture in Netherlands, 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 Netherlands is 53.5%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for agriculture in Netherlands peaked at 68.0% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 53.5%, in 2023.
Netherlands ranks 54th 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 Netherlands, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 68.0% | — |
| 1962 | 67.8% | -0.4% |
| 1963 | 67.4% | -0.5% |
| 1964 | 66.9% | -0.8% |
| 1965 | 66.6% | -0.5% |
| 1966 | 66.6% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 66.4% | -0.3% |
| 1968 | 66.2% | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 65.7% | -0.7% |
| 1970 | 65.2% | -0.8% |
| 1971 | 63.3% | -2.9% |
| 1972 | 62.8% | -0.7% |
| 1973 | 62.4% | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 62.2% | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 61.8% | -0.6% |
| 1976 | 61.6% | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 61.2% | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 60.7% | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 60.3% | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 60.3% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 60.1% | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 60.1% | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 59.5% | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 59.7% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 59.8% | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 59.8% | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 59.7% | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 59.7% | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 59.4% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 59.8% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 58.3% | -2.4% |
| 1992 | 58.2% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 58.3% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 57.8% | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 58.2% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 57.8% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 58.2% | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 56.7% | -2.4% |
| 1999 | 58.4% | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 58.0% | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 57.0% | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 57.5% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 56.7% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 57.7% | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 57.4% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 56.9% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 56.7% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 57.1% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 56.8% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 55.5% | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 55.1% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 54.6% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 54.8% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 54.6% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 54.8% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 53.9% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 54.0% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 54.1% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 54.0% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 53.9% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 53.8% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 53.6% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 53.5% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 66.8% | 65.7% | 68.0% | 9 |
| 1970s | 62.2% | 60.3% | 65.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 59.8% | 59.4% | 60.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 58.2% | 56.7% | 59.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 57.2% | 56.7% | 58.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.6% | 53.9% | 55.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 53.7% | 53.5% | 53.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
- 51 Sierra Leone 54.7% compare
- 52 Paraguay 54.1% compare
- 53 Kyrgyzstan 54.0% compare
- 55 Burkina Faso 53.4% compare
- 56 Mozambique 52.8% compare
- 57 France 52.5% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Netherlands
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 6.75 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0168 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,240 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -6.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.0406 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for agriculture in Netherlands?
- Share of land area used for agriculture in Netherlands was 53.5% 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 Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 68.0% in 1961.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.5% in 2023.
- How does Netherlands rank for share of land area used for agriculture?
- Netherlands ranks 54th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for agriculture rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Netherlands 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.