Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Ghana
Ghana: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 20.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Ghana, 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 Ghana is 20.7%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Ghana peaked at 20.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 7.5%, in 1961.
That places Ghana 53rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 7.5% | — |
| 1962 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 7.9% | +5.9% |
| 1976 | 7.9% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 7.9% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 8.4% | +5.6% |
| 1979 | 8.4% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 8.4% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 8.4% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 9.2% | +10.5% |
| 1983 | 9.2% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 10.1% | +9.5% |
| 1985 | 10.5% | +4.3% |
| 1986 | 10.5% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 11.0% | +4.2% |
| 1988 | 11.4% | +4.0% |
| 1989 | 11.4% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 11.9% | +3.8% |
| 1991 | 12.3% | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 12.3% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 12.3% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 12.3% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 13.2% | +7.1% |
| 1996 | 14.1% | +6.7% |
| 1997 | 15.8% | +12.5% |
| 1998 | 16.0% | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 16.2% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 16.5% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 16.7% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 16.9% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 17.1% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 17.3% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 17.5% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 17.7% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 17.9% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 18.2% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 18.4% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 18.6% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 18.8% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 19.0% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 19.2% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 19.4% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 19.6% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 19.9% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 20.1% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 20.3% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 20.5% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 20.7% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 20.7% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 20.7% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 20.7% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.5% | 7.5% | 7.5% | 9 |
| 1970s | 7.8% | 7.5% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.0% | 8.4% | 11.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.6% | 11.9% | 16.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.4% | 16.5% | 18.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.5% | 18.6% | 20.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.7% | 20.7% | 20.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More agriculture & rural data for Ghana
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 41.79 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2128 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 692.99 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4821 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4108 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 21.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 21.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in Ghana?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Ghana was 20.7% 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 20.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.5% in 1961.
- How does Ghana rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Ghana ranks 53rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana 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.