Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Denmark
Denmark: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 59.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Denmark, 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 Denmark stood at 59.1%.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and down 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Denmark peaked at 70.2% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 56.6%, in 2003.
That places Denmark 2nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 Denmark, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 70.2% | — |
| 1962 | 69.3% | -1.2% |
| 1963 | 68.6% | -1.0% |
| 1964 | 68.2% | -0.7% |
| 1965 | 67.3% | -1.2% |
| 1966 | 67.2% | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 67.1% | -0.0% |
| 1968 | 67.3% | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 67.0% | -0.6% |
| 1970 | 66.5% | -0.6% |
| 1971 | 66.2% | -0.5% |
| 1972 | 66.3% | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 66.3% | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 66.0% | -0.5% |
| 1975 | 66.2% | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 66.4% | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 65.9% | -0.8% |
| 1978 | 66.1% | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 66.0% | -0.0% |
| 1980 | 66.0% | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 65.9% | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 65.8% | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 64.8% | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 65.3% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 65.0% | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 64.8% | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 64.5% | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 64.0% | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 63.6% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 64.0% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 63.7% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 63.5% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 63.3% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 59.1% | -6.6% |
| 1995 | 58.0% | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 58.0% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 59.1% | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 59.1% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 57.4% | -3.0% |
| 2000 | 57.0% | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 57.3% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 56.9% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 56.6% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 56.7% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 58.3% | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 58.7% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 57.6% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 60.0% | +4.2% |
| 2009 | 60.8% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 60.5% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 62.5% | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 60.5% | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 60.2% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 60.8% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 58.8% | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 59.3% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 59.2% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 59.7% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 59.9% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 59.3% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 58.9% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 59.0% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 59.1% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 68.0% | 67.0% | 70.2% | 9 |
| 1970s | 66.2% | 65.9% | 66.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 65.0% | 63.6% | 66.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 60.5% | 57.4% | 64.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 58.0% | 56.6% | 60.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 60.1% | 58.8% | 62.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 59.1% | 58.9% | 59.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
More agriculture & rural data for Denmark
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 37.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0117 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 900.07 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.7939 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1115 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in Denmark?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Denmark was 59.1% 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 Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 70.2% in 1961.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.6% in 2003.
- How does Denmark rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Denmark ranks 2nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Denmark 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.