Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Mali
Mali: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 6.8% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Mali, 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 Mali is 6.8%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of up 22.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Mali peaked at 6.8% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 1961.
Mali ranks 120th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Mali, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.3% | — |
| 1962 | 1.3% | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 1.4% | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 1.4% | +0.3% |
| 1965 | 1.4% | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 1.4% | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 1.4% | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 1.4% | +3.0% |
| 1971 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 1.4% | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 1.5% | +2.8% |
| 1976 | 1.7% | +10.9% |
| 1977 | 1.7% | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 1.7% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 1.6% | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 1.6% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 1.6% | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 1.6% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1.6% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 1.6% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1.7% | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 1.7% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 1.7% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1.7% | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 1.7% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 1.7% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 1.7% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 1.8% | +4.8% |
| 1993 | 2.5% | +41.5% |
| 1994 | 2.6% | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 2.7% | +4.6% |
| 1996 | 3.7% | +37.1% |
| 1997 | 3.7% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 3.7% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 3.7% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 3.7% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 3.7% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 4.0% | +8.2% |
| 2003 | 4.9% | +21.3% |
| 2004 | 4.0% | -17.5% |
| 2005 | 4.6% | +14.3% |
| 2006 | 4.7% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 4.8% | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 4.9% | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 5.1% | +3.7% |
| 2010 | 5.1% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 5.3% | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 5.4% | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 5.6% | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 5.8% | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 5.9% | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 6.1% | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 6.2% | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 6.4% | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 6.5% | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 6.7% | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 6.8% | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 6.8% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6.8% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.8% | 1.7% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.4% | 3.7% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.8% | 5.1% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.8% | 6.7% | 6.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Mali
- 117 Bosnia and Herzegovina 7.2% compare
- 118 Mozambique 7.2% compare
- 119 Palestine 7.0% compare
- 121 Kyrgyzstan 6.7% compare
- 122 British Virgin Islands 6.7% compare
- 123 Brazil 6.7% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Mali
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3302 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 394.01 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.03 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6779 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 33.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 33.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 8.4% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.4% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in Mali?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Mali was 6.8% 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 Mali?
- The highest recorded value was 6.8% in 2021.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Mali?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 1961.
- How does Mali rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Mali ranks 120th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Mali?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mali 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.