Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 60.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Bangladesh, 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
Bangladesh recorded 60.6% for share of land area used for arable agriculture in 2023.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Bangladesh peaked at 73.4% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 59.1%, in 2014.
Bangladesh ranks 1st of 206 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 66.1% | — |
| 1962 | 66.0% | -0.1% |
| 1963 | 66.1% | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 66.4% | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 67.4% | +1.6% |
| 1966 | 67.6% | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 67.9% | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 67.8% | -0.2% |
| 1969 | 67.7% | -0.2% |
| 1970 | 67.9% | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 67.9% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 70.2% | +3.3% |
| 1973 | 70.1% | -0.0% |
| 1974 | 70.1% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 70.2% | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 70.2% | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 70.1% | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 70.1% | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 70.0% | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 70.1% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 70.0% | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 69.9% | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 69.8% | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 70.6% | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 70.3% | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 70.4% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 70.9% | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 73.3% | +3.3% |
| 1989 | 73.4% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 72.6% | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 72.1% | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 66.1% | -8.3% |
| 1993 | 65.3% | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 64.6% | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 64.6% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 64.2% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 64.5% | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 64.9% | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 64.8% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 64.1% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 63.8% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 63.4% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 63.2% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 62.6% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 62.3% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 62.1% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 61.6% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 61.5% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 61.4% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 61.3% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 60.4% | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 60.3% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 59.3% | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 59.1% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 59.6% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 59.9% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 59.8% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 59.7% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 60.4% | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 60.6% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 60.5% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 60.8% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 60.6% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 67.0% | 66.0% | 67.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 69.7% | 67.9% | 70.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 70.9% | 69.8% | 73.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 66.4% | 64.2% | 72.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 62.6% | 61.4% | 64.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 60.0% | 59.1% | 61.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 60.6% | 60.5% | 60.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More agriculture & rural data for Bangladesh
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 3.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1142 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 296.72 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6676 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 11.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 11.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2018)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 6.0% (2018)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in Bangladesh?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Bangladesh was 60.6% 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 arable agriculture recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 73.4% in 1989.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 59.1% in 2014.
- How does Bangladesh rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Bangladesh ranks 1st out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bangladesh 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.