Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Democratic Republic of the: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 6.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Congo, Democratic Republic of the, 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 arable agriculture in Congo, Democratic Republic of the is 6.6%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 26.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Congo, Democratic Republic of the peaked at 6.6% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.8%, in 1965.
Congo, Democratic Republic of the ranks 124th of 206 countries on this measure, 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 arable agriculture in Congo, Democratic Republic of the, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.8% | — |
| 1962 | 2.8% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 2.8% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 2.8% | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 2.8% | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 2.8% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 2.8% | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 2.8% | +0.5% |
| 1969 | 2.8% | +0.3% |
| 1970 | 2.8% | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 2.9% | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 2.9% | +0.5% |
| 1973 | 2.9% | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 2.9% | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 2.9% | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 2.9% | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 2.9% | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 2.9% | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 2.9% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 2.9% | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 2.9% | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 2.9% | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 2.9% | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 2.9% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 3.0% | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 3.0% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 3.0% | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 2.9% | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 2.9% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 3.0% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 3.0% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 3.5% | +17.5% |
| 2010 | 4.0% | +14.9% |
| 2011 | 4.5% | +13.0% |
| 2012 | 5.1% | +11.5% |
| 2013 | 5.2% | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 5.4% | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 5.5% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 5.6% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 5.8% | +4.6% |
| 2018 | 6.0% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 6.0% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 6.0% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6.0% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 6.4% | +5.8% |
| 2023 | 6.6% | +2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.8% | 2.8% | 2.8% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.9% | 2.8% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.9% | 2.9% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.0% | 2.9% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.3% | 4.0% | 6.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.3% | 6.0% | 6.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Congo, Democratic Republic of the
- 121 Kyrgyzstan 6.7% compare
- 122 British Virgin Islands 6.7% compare
- 123 Brazil 6.7% compare
- 125 Ireland 6.4% compare
- 126 Sweden 6.2% compare
- 127 Tajikistan 6.1% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Congo, Democratic Republic of the
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2023)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.57 % change on previous year (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2023)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5489 units per person (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0007 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population 54.9% (2025)
- Rural population 61.93 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 2.5% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 72.04 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Congo, Democratic Republic of the was 6.6% 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 Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
- The highest recorded value was 6.6% in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.8% in 1965.
- How does Congo, Democratic Republic of the rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Congo, Democratic Republic of the ranks 124th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Congo, Democratic Republic of the 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.