Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Malta
Malta: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 22.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Malta, 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
Malta recorded 22.8% for share of land area used for arable agriculture in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 6.4% on the previous year and down 18.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Malta peaked at 53.1% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 22.8%, in 2023.
Malta ranks 47th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Malta, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 53.1% | — |
| 1962 | 50.0% | -5.9% |
| 1963 | 46.9% | -6.2% |
| 1964 | 43.8% | -6.7% |
| 1965 | 40.6% | -7.1% |
| 1966 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 37.5% | -7.7% |
| 1976 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 40.6% | +8.3% |
| 1978 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 40.6% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 37.5% | -7.7% |
| 1981 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 37.5% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 31.2% | -16.7% |
| 1996 | 31.2% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 28.1% | -10.0% |
| 1998 | 25.0% | -11.1% |
| 1999 | 25.0% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 25.0% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 28.1% | +12.5% |
| 2002 | 28.1% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 29.1% | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 28.1% | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 25.6% | -8.9% |
| 2006 | 25.6% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 25.0% | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 25.0% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 25.0% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 28.4% | +13.5% |
| 2011 | 28.4% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 28.1% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 28.0% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 28.0% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 28.0% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 28.3% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 28.3% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 28.3% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 28.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 24.4% | -14.0% |
| 2021 | 24.4% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 24.4% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 22.8% | -6.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 44.1% | 40.6% | 53.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 40.0% | 37.5% | 40.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 37.5% | 37.5% | 37.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 32.8% | 25.0% | 37.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.5% | 25.0% | 29.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.2% | 28.0% | 28.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.0% | 22.8% | 24.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malta
More agriculture & rural data for Malta
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 6.05 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0047 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 224.75 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.0432 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.2% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in Malta?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Malta was 22.8% 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 Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 53.1% in 1961.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.8% in 2023.
- How does Malta rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Malta ranks 47th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malta 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.