Share of land area used for agriculture in Switzerland
Switzerland: Share of land area used for agriculture was 37.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of land area used for agriculture in Switzerland, 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 Switzerland is 37.8%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for agriculture in Switzerland peaked at 43.9% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 37.8%, in 2023.
Switzerland ranks 106th 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 Switzerland, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 43.9% | — |
| 1962 | 43.9% | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 43.5% | -0.8% |
| 1964 | 43.3% | -0.5% |
| 1965 | 43.0% | -0.5% |
| 1966 | 42.9% | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 42.7% | -0.4% |
| 1968 | 42.7% | -0.2% |
| 1969 | 42.7% | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 42.3% | -0.8% |
| 1971 | 42.1% | -0.5% |
| 1972 | 42.1% | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 41.8% | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 41.7% | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 41.6% | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 41.6% | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 41.5% | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 41.6% | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 42.0% | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 41.8% | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 41.7% | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 41.6% | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 41.5% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 41.3% | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 41.2% | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 41.1% | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 41.0% | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 40.9% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 40.7% | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 40.6% | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 40.5% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 40.4% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 40.3% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 40.1% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 40.0% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 39.9% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 39.9% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 39.8% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 39.7% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 39.6% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 39.5% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 39.5% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 39.4% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 39.3% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 39.2% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 39.2% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 39.1% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 39.0% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 38.9% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 38.8% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 38.8% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 38.7% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 38.6% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 38.5% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 38.4% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 38.3% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 38.3% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 38.2% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 38.1% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 38.0% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 37.9% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 37.9% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 37.8% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 43.2% | 42.7% | 43.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 41.8% | 41.5% | 42.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 41.3% | 40.7% | 41.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 40.1% | 39.7% | 40.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 39.3% | 38.9% | 39.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.5% | 38.1% | 38.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.9% | 37.8% | 38.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More agriculture & rural data for Switzerland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.79 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0064 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 739.83 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.8806 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1427 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for agriculture in Switzerland?
- Share of land area used for agriculture in Switzerland was 37.8% 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 Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 43.9% in 1961.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.8% in 2023.
- How does Switzerland rank for share of land area used for agriculture?
- Switzerland ranks 106th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for agriculture rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Switzerland 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.