Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Iceland
Iceland: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 1.2% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Iceland, 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 Iceland stood at 1.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Iceland peaked at 1.4% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 1961.
That places Iceland 181st out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.2% | — |
| 1962 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 1.2% | +0.8% |
| 1971 | 1.2% | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 1.2% | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 1.2% | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 1.2% | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 1.3% | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 1.3% | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 1.3% | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 1.3% | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 1.3% | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 1.3% | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1.3% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 1.3% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 1.4% | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1.3% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1.3% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 1.3% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 1.3% | -2.3% |
| 1999 | 1.3% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1.2% | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1.2% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 1.2% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 1.2% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 1.2% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1.2% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More agriculture & rural data for Iceland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 19.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0365 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 3,593 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.8983 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.0578 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 3.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 3.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in Iceland?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Iceland was 1.2% 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 1.4% in 1990.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 1961.
- How does Iceland rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Iceland ranks 181st out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Iceland 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.