Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 12.0% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Afghanistan, 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
Afghanistan recorded 12.0% for share of land area used for arable agriculture in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Afghanistan peaked at 12.1% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 11.7%, in 1996.
That places Afghanistan 86th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 11.7% | — |
| 1962 | 11.8% | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 11.9% | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 12.0% | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 12.0% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 12.0% | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 12.0% | +0.1% |
| 1968 | 12.0% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 12.1% | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 12.1% | +0.1% |
| 1971 | 12.1% | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 12.1% | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 12.1% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 12.1% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 12.1% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 12.1% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 12.1% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 12.1% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 12.1% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 12.1% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 12.1% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 12.1% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 12.1% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 12.1% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 12.1% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 12.1% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 12.1% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 12.1% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 12.1% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 12.1% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 12.1% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 12.1% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 12.0% | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 11.8% | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 11.7% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 11.7% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 11.8% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 11.9% | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 11.7% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 11.8% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 11.8% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 11.8% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 11.9% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 12.0% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 12.0% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 11.9% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 11.9% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 11.9% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 11.9% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 11.9% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 11.9% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 11.9% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 11.9% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 11.9% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 11.9% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 11.9% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 11.8% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 11.9% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 11.9% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 12.0% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 12.0% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 12.0% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 12.0% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 11.9% | 11.7% | 12.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 12.1% | 12.1% | 12.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.1% | 12.1% | 12.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.9% | 11.7% | 12.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.9% | 11.8% | 12.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.9% | 11.8% | 11.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.0% | 12.0% | 12.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More agriculture & rural data for Afghanistan
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3429 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 142.96 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0018 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7406 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 34.3% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 34.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 21.0% (2019)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.8% (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in Afghanistan?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Afghanistan was 12.0% 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 arable agriculture recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 12.1% in 1972.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.7% in 1996.
- How does Afghanistan rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Afghanistan ranks 86th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Afghanistan 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 arable agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of land area used for arable agriculture, measured as a percentage of total land area. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow.