Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Bhutan
Bhutan: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 2.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Bhutan, 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 Bhutan stood at 2.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and down 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Bhutan peaked at 4.4% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 1961.
Bhutan ranks 161st of 206 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.1% | — |
| 1962 | 2.1% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 2.1% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 2.1% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 2.1% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 2.1% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 2.1% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 2.1% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 2.1% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 2.4% | +10.0% |
| 1971 | 2.4% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 2.4% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 2.4% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 2.5% | +4.5% |
| 1975 | 2.5% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 2.6% | +4.3% |
| 1977 | 2.6% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 2.6% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 2.7% | +4.2% |
| 1980 | 2.8% | +4.0% |
| 1981 | 2.8% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 2.9% | +3.8% |
| 1983 | 3.1% | +7.4% |
| 1984 | 3.1% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 3.1% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 3.1% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 3.1% | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 3.0% | -3.4% |
| 1989 | 2.8% | -5.7% |
| 1990 | 2.9% | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 2.9% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 2.9% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 2.9% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 3.5% | +20.8% |
| 1995 | 3.7% | +4.3% |
| 1996 | 3.8% | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 3.8% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 3.8% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 3.8% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 3.9% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 3.9% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 3.9% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 3.9% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 4.1% | +5.1% |
| 2005 | 4.4% | +5.7% |
| 2006 | 4.0% | -9.4% |
| 2007 | 3.6% | -9.9% |
| 2008 | 2.6% | -26.6% |
| 2009 | 2.6% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 2.6% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 2.6% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 2.6% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 2.6% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 2.6% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 2.6% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 2.6% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 2.5% | -5.5% |
| 2018 | 2.5% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 2.5% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 2.5% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 2.5% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 2.6% | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 2.6% | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.0% | 2.8% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.4% | 2.9% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.7% | 2.6% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
- 158 Micronesia, Federated States of 2.9% compare
- 159 Marshall Islands 2.8% compare
- 160 Bahrain 2.6% compare
- 162 United States Virgin Islands 2.6% compare
- 163 Kiribati 2.5% compare
- 164 Malaysia 2.4% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Bhutan
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 3.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1368 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 614.64 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.8653 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5657 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 13.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 13.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in Bhutan?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Bhutan was 2.6% 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 Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 4.4% in 2005.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 1961.
- How does Bhutan rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Bhutan ranks 161st out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bhutan 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.
Download this data
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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.