Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 14.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Ethiopia, 1993–2023
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 Ethiopia stood at 14.5%.
That represents a change of up 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Ethiopia peaked at 14.6% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 9.9%, in 2002.
Ethiopia ranks 73rd of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 10.0% | — |
| 1994 | 9.9% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 9.9% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 9.9% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 9.9% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 9.9% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 9.9% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 9.9% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 9.9% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 9.9% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 10.9% | +10.9% |
| 2004 | 11.0% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 11.4% | +3.7% |
| 2006 | 11.9% | +4.5% |
| 2007 | 12.4% | +4.8% |
| 2008 | 12.1% | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 12.4% | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 12.9% | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 13.5% | +4.3% |
| 2012 | 13.6% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 13.7% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 13.8% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 13.9% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 14.0% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 14.2% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 14.3% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 14.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 14.4% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 14.6% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 14.5% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 14.5% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.9% | 9.9% | 10.0% | 7 |
| 2000s | 11.2% | 9.9% | 12.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.8% | 12.9% | 14.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.5% | 14.4% | 14.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 70 Côte d'Ivoire 15.1% compare
- 71 Republic of Korea 14.9% compare
- 72 Argentina 14.8% compare
- 74 Guatemala 14.5% compare
- 75 Greece 14.4% compare
- 76 Guinea-Bissau 14.1% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Ethiopia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -20.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3282 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 306.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.93 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0008 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7589 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 32.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 32.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 9.7% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in Ethiopia?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Ethiopia was 14.5% 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 14.6% in 2021.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.9% in 2002.
- How does Ethiopia rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Ethiopia ranks 73rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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.