Share of land area used for agriculture in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Share of land area used for agriculture was 41.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for agriculture in Zimbabwe, 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 Zimbabwe is 41.8%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for agriculture in Zimbabwe peaked at 42.4% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 25.8%, in 1961.
That places Zimbabwe 93rd 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 Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 25.8% | — |
| 1962 | 26.0% | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 26.3% | +1.0% |
| 1964 | 26.5% | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 26.7% | +0.8% |
| 1966 | 26.7% | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 27.0% | +1.0% |
| 1968 | 27.1% | +0.5% |
| 1969 | 27.4% | +1.2% |
| 1970 | 27.7% | +0.9% |
| 1971 | 28.0% | +1.1% |
| 1972 | 28.4% | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 28.6% | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 28.9% | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 29.2% | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 29.4% | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 29.7% | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 29.9% | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 30.1% | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 30.4% | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 30.8% | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 31.1% | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 31.7% | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 31.8% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 32.1% | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 32.5% | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 32.3% | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 32.7% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 33.4% | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 33.7% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 34.2% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 33.9% | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 34.5% | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 35.5% | +3.0% |
| 1995 | 35.8% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 36.5% | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 36.5% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 37.0% | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 38.0% | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 39.1% | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 39.3% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 39.9% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 40.4% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 41.2% | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 41.5% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 42.0% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 41.7% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 42.4% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 42.0% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 41.7% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 42.2% | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 41.9% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 41.8% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 41.8% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 41.8% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 41.8% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 41.8% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 41.8% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 41.8% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 41.8% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 41.8% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 41.8% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 41.8% | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 26.6% | 25.8% | 27.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 29.0% | 27.7% | 30.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 31.9% | 30.4% | 33.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 35.6% | 33.7% | 38.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.9% | 39.1% | 42.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.9% | 41.7% | 42.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.8% | 41.8% | 41.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More agriculture & rural data for Zimbabwe
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 34.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0947 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 286.19 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.8815 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.595 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 9.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 9.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for agriculture in Zimbabwe?
- Share of land area used for agriculture in Zimbabwe was 41.8% 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 42.4% in 2008.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.8% in 1961.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for share of land area used for agriculture?
- Zimbabwe ranks 93rd out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for agriculture rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.