Share of land area used for agriculture in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share of land area used for agriculture was 48.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for agriculture in Sri Lanka, 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 Sri Lanka is 48.6%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.9% on the previous year and up 11.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for agriculture in Sri Lanka peaked at 48.6% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 27.2%, in 1962.
Sri Lanka ranks 66th 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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 27.5% | — |
| 1962 | 27.2% | -0.9% |
| 1963 | 32.8% | +20.7% |
| 1964 | 33.5% | +2.1% |
| 1965 | 34.4% | +2.5% |
| 1966 | 35.2% | +2.3% |
| 1967 | 36.0% | +2.3% |
| 1968 | 37.0% | +2.9% |
| 1969 | 37.1% | +0.3% |
| 1970 | 37.2% | +0.2% |
| 1971 | 37.3% | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 37.4% | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 37.5% | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 37.6% | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 37.6% | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 38.2% | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 38.8% | +1.5% |
| 1978 | 39.4% | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 37.6% | -4.5% |
| 1980 | 37.5% | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 36.6% | -2.3% |
| 1983 | 36.8% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 36.9% | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 36.9% | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 37.1% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 37.2% | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 37.3% | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 37.3% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 37.3% | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 37.3% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 37.4% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 37.0% | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 37.0% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 37.1% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 37.1% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 37.1% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 37.1% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 37.4% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 37.5% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 37.6% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 38.0% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 36.5% | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 39.7% | +8.9% |
| 2006 | 38.8% | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 38.0% | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 41.4% | +9.0% |
| 2009 | 41.6% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 41.8% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 43.5% | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 43.7% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 43.7% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 43.7% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 44.3% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 44.4% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 44.6% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 45.4% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 45.4% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 45.5% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 45.5% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 45.5% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 48.6% | +6.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 33.4% | 27.2% | 37.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 37.9% | 37.2% | 39.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 37.1% | 36.6% | 37.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 37.2% | 37.0% | 37.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 38.7% | 36.5% | 41.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.1% | 41.8% | 45.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.2% | 45.5% | 48.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More agriculture & rural data for Sri Lanka
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0836 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 418.3 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9172 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7955 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for agriculture in Sri Lanka?
- Share of land area used for agriculture in Sri Lanka was 48.6% 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 48.6% in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.2% in 1962.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for share of land area used for agriculture?
- Sri Lanka ranks 66th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for agriculture rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.