Share of land area used for arable agriculture in France
France: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 31.4% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in France, 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 France stood at 31.4%. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in France peaked at 36.4% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 31.4%, in 2023.
France ranks 28th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in France, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 36.4% | — |
| 1962 | 36.2% | -0.4% |
| 1963 | 36.1% | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 35.4% | -1.9% |
| 1965 | 34.9% | -1.5% |
| 1966 | 34.3% | -1.8% |
| 1967 | 33.5% | -2.1% |
| 1968 | 32.6% | -2.7% |
| 1969 | 32.6% | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 32.3% | -0.8% |
| 1971 | 31.6% | -2.1% |
| 1972 | 31.6% | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 31.7% | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 32.1% | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 32.2% | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 31.8% | -1.2% |
| 1977 | 32.0% | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 32.2% | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 32.3% | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 32.4% | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 32.5% | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 32.8% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 32.8% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 33.0% | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 33.3% | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 33.4% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 33.7% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 33.1% | -1.9% |
| 1989 | 32.9% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 33.0% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 33.1% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 33.1% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 33.5% | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 33.6% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 33.7% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 33.8% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 33.9% | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 34.0% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 34.1% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 34.1% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 34.0% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 34.1% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 34.1% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 34.1% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 34.1% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 34.0% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 33.9% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 33.9% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 33.9% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 34.0% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 33.9% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 33.9% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 34.0% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 34.0% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 34.3% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 34.1% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 34.3% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 33.6% | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 33.3% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 31.5% | -5.3% |
| 2021 | 31.6% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 31.5% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 31.4% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 34.7% | 32.6% | 36.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 32.0% | 31.6% | 32.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 33.0% | 32.4% | 33.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 33.6% | 33.0% | 34.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 34.0% | 33.9% | 34.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.9% | 33.3% | 34.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.5% | 31.4% | 31.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near France
More agriculture & rural data for France
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 14.99 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.014 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 687.36 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.033 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2115 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in France?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in France was 31.4% 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 36.4% in 1961.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.4% in 2023.
- How does France rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- France ranks 28th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this France 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
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.