Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Ireland
Ireland: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 6.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Ireland, 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 Ireland is 6.4%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Ireland peaked at 9.5% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 5.7%, in 1991.
That places Ireland 125th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 9.5% | — |
| 1962 | 9.4% | -0.7% |
| 1963 | 8.9% | -4.9% |
| 1964 | 8.5% | -4.8% |
| 1965 | 8.2% | -3.1% |
| 1966 | 7.4% | -9.6% |
| 1967 | 7.7% | +2.9% |
| 1968 | 7.7% | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 7.5% | -2.7% |
| 1970 | 7.7% | +3.3% |
| 1971 | 7.8% | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 7.4% | -4.8% |
| 1973 | 7.0% | -5.4% |
| 1974 | 6.8% | -2.4% |
| 1975 | 6.6% | -2.8% |
| 1976 | 6.9% | +3.6% |
| 1977 | 7.3% | +6.1% |
| 1978 | 7.4% | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 7.5% | +2.1% |
| 1980 | 8.0% | +6.8% |
| 1981 | 7.7% | -4.0% |
| 1982 | 7.5% | -2.6% |
| 1983 | 7.2% | -3.8% |
| 1984 | 7.5% | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 7.3% | -1.9% |
| 1986 | 6.8% | -7.7% |
| 1987 | 6.4% | -6.0% |
| 1988 | 6.1% | -3.9% |
| 1989 | 6.0% | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 5.7% | -4.8% |
| 1991 | 5.7% | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 5.7% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 5.9% | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 5.8% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 5.8% | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 5.9% | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 6.2% | +5.2% |
| 1998 | 6.5% | +5.0% |
| 1999 | 6.8% | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 7.1% | +4.5% |
| 2001 | 7.4% | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 7.5% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 7.7% | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 7.6% | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 7.1% | -6.3% |
| 2006 | 6.8% | -4.4% |
| 2007 | 6.8% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 7.0% | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 6.7% | -4.7% |
| 2010 | 6.4% | -5.1% |
| 2011 | 6.7% | +4.6% |
| 2012 | 7.0% | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 6.9% | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 6.8% | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 6.6% | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 6.7% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6.5% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 6.4% | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 6.4% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 6.3% | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 6.5% | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 6.4% | -1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.3% | 7.4% | 9.5% | 9 |
| 1970s | 7.2% | 6.6% | 7.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.1% | 6.0% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.0% | 5.7% | 6.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.2% | 6.7% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.7% | 6.4% | 7.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.4% | 6.3% | 6.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 122 British Virgin Islands 6.7% compare
- 123 Brazil 6.7% compare
- 124 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 6.6% compare
- 126 Sweden 6.2% compare
- 127 Tajikistan 6.1% compare
- 128 Eritrea 5.7% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Ireland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 22.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0106 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,391 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.9559 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3541 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in Ireland?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Ireland was 6.4% 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 9.5% in 1961.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.7% in 1991.
- How does Ireland rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Ireland ranks 125th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland 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.