Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Namibia
Namibia: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 1.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Namibia, 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 Namibia is 1.0%, measured in 2023.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Namibia peaked at 1.0% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 1961.
That places Namibia 184th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Namibia, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.8% | — |
| 1962 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.8% | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.8% | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.8% | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 0.8% | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.8% | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.8% | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.8% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.8% | +5.8% |
| 1994 | 0.9% | +7.0% |
| 1995 | 1.0% | +9.2% |
| 1996 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1.0% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
- 181 Iceland 1.2% compare
- 182 Turks and Caicos Islands 1.1% compare
- 183 Libya 1.0% compare
- 185 Cayman Islands 0.8% compare
- 186 Solomon Islands 0.8% compare
- 187 Bahamas 0.8% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Namibia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0699 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 340.78 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4913 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 7.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 7.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in Namibia?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Namibia was 1.0% 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 Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.0% in 1995.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 1961.
- How does Namibia rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Namibia ranks 184th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia 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.