Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Barbados
Barbados: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 16.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Barbados, 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
In 2023, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Barbados stood at 16.3%. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 26.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Barbados peaked at 37.2% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 16.3%, in 2016.
That places Barbados 64th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 arable agriculture in Barbados, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 37.2% | — |
| 1962 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 37.2% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 34.9% | -6.3% |
| 2000 | 34.9% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 34.9% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 32.6% | -6.7% |
| 2003 | 32.6% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 30.2% | -7.1% |
| 2005 | 30.2% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 30.2% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 30.2% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 30.2% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 30.2% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 27.9% | -7.7% |
| 2011 | 25.6% | -8.3% |
| 2012 | 23.3% | -9.1% |
| 2013 | 22.1% | -5.0% |
| 2014 | 20.9% | -5.3% |
| 2015 | 18.6% | -11.1% |
| 2016 | 16.3% | -12.5% |
| 2017 | 16.3% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 16.3% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 16.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 16.3% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 16.3% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 16.3% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 16.3% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 37.2% | 37.2% | 37.2% | 9 |
| 1970s | 37.2% | 37.2% | 37.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 37.2% | 37.2% | 37.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 37.0% | 34.9% | 37.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 31.6% | 30.2% | 34.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.3% | 16.3% | 27.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.3% | 16.3% | 16.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Barbados
More agriculture & rural data for Barbados
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -1.03 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0155 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 418.19 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.3404 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.403 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.6% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in Barbados?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Barbados was 16.3% 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 Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 37.2% in 1961.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.3% in 2016.
- How does Barbados rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Barbados ranks 64th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Barbados 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.