Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Gambia
Gambia: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 43.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Gambia, 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
Gambia recorded 43.5% for share of land area used for arable agriculture in 2023.
The figure is down 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Gambia peaked at 44.5% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 12.0%, in 1961.
Gambia ranks 10th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Gambia, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 12.0% | — |
| 1962 | 12.1% | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 12.2% | +0.8% |
| 1964 | 12.3% | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 12.4% | +0.8% |
| 1966 | 12.5% | +0.8% |
| 1967 | 12.6% | +1.6% |
| 1968 | 12.6% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 12.8% | +1.6% |
| 1970 | 12.8% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 13.1% | +2.3% |
| 1972 | 13.6% | +3.8% |
| 1973 | 14.1% | +3.6% |
| 1974 | 16.8% | +18.9% |
| 1975 | 16.2% | -3.5% |
| 1976 | 16.1% | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 16.8% | +4.3% |
| 1978 | 17.5% | +4.1% |
| 1979 | 16.4% | -6.2% |
| 1980 | 15.7% | -4.2% |
| 1981 | 17.9% | +13.8% |
| 1982 | 20.0% | +11.6% |
| 1983 | 18.1% | -9.4% |
| 1984 | 16.7% | -7.7% |
| 1985 | 16.7% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 17.5% | +4.7% |
| 1987 | 18.2% | +4.0% |
| 1988 | 19.7% | +8.2% |
| 1989 | 17.9% | -9.0% |
| 1990 | 18.5% | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 19.4% | +4.8% |
| 1992 | 16.0% | -17.3% |
| 1993 | 15.9% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 17.8% | +11.8% |
| 1995 | 18.3% | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 18.8% | +2.7% |
| 1997 | 20.3% | +7.9% |
| 1998 | 21.2% | +4.9% |
| 1999 | 22.2% | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 23.1% | +4.0% |
| 2001 | 24.1% | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 25.1% | +4.1% |
| 2003 | 26.1% | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 27.0% | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 28.0% | +3.7% |
| 2006 | 29.0% | +3.5% |
| 2007 | 29.9% | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 36.8% | +22.8% |
| 2009 | 42.3% | +15.1% |
| 2010 | 44.5% | +5.1% |
| 2011 | 44.5% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 44.5% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 44.5% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 44.5% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 44.5% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 44.5% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 43.5% | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 43.5% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 43.5% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 43.5% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 43.5% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 43.5% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 43.5% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 12.4% | 12.0% | 12.8% | 9 |
| 1970s | 15.4% | 12.8% | 17.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 17.8% | 15.7% | 20.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.8% | 15.9% | 22.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.1% | 23.1% | 42.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.2% | 43.5% | 44.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.5% | 43.5% | 43.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More agriculture & rural data for Gambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 25.87 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2385 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 219.17 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2766 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3501 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in Gambia?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Gambia was 43.5% 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 Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 44.5% in 2010.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.0% in 1961.
- How does Gambia rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Gambia ranks 10th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Gambia 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.