Share of land area used for agriculture in Zambia
Zambia: Share of land area used for agriculture was 32.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for agriculture in Zambia, 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 Zambia is 32.1%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for agriculture in Zambia peaked at 32.1% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 26.0%, in 1961.
Zambia ranks 119th 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 Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 26.0% | — |
| 1962 | 26.0% | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 26.1% | +0.2% |
| 1964 | 26.2% | +0.3% |
| 1965 | 26.2% | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 26.4% | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 26.4% | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 26.5% | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 26.6% | +0.3% |
| 1970 | 26.7% | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 27.0% | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 27.0% | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 27.1% | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 27.2% | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 27.2% | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 27.3% | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 27.3% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 27.1% | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 26.6% | -1.9% |
| 1980 | 26.7% | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 26.8% | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 27.0% | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 27.1% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 27.2% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 27.3% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 27.5% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 27.6% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 27.7% | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 27.9% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 28.0% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 28.0% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 28.3% | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 28.5% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 28.9% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 29.1% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 29.4% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 29.6% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 29.8% | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 30.1% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 30.3% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 30.3% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 30.4% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 30.8% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 30.8% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 30.6% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 31.0% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 30.9% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 31.1% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 31.7% | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 31.5% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 31.8% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 32.1% | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 31.9% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 31.9% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 31.9% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 31.9% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 32.1% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 32.1% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 32.1% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 32.1% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 32.1% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 32.1% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 32.1% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 26.3% | 26.0% | 26.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | 27.0% | 26.6% | 27.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 27.3% | 26.7% | 27.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 29.0% | 28.0% | 30.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 30.8% | 30.3% | 31.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.9% | 31.5% | 32.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.1% | 32.1% | 32.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More agriculture & rural data for Zambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 65.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0411 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 54.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5408 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for agriculture in Zambia?
- Share of land area used for agriculture in Zambia was 32.1% 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 32.1% in 2017.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.0% in 1961.
- How does Zambia rank for share of land area used for agriculture?
- Zambia ranks 119th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for agriculture rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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.