Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Netherlands
Netherlands: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 30.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Netherlands, 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 Netherlands is 30.0%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and down 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Netherlands peaked at 33.4% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 23.8%, in 1973.
That places Netherlands 31st out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 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 Netherlands, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 29.4% | — |
| 1962 | 28.6% | -2.6% |
| 1963 | 28.1% | -1.8% |
| 1964 | 27.8% | -1.3% |
| 1965 | 27.5% | -1.0% |
| 1966 | 26.9% | -2.3% |
| 1967 | 26.1% | -2.8% |
| 1968 | 25.8% | -1.1% |
| 1969 | 25.3% | -2.2% |
| 1970 | 24.7% | -2.4% |
| 1971 | 24.2% | -2.0% |
| 1972 | 24.0% | -0.7% |
| 1973 | 23.8% | -0.8% |
| 1974 | 23.9% | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 24.0% | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 24.1% | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 24.7% | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 24.5% | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 24.6% | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 25.0% | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 25.1% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 25.2% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 24.7% | -2.2% |
| 1984 | 24.9% | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 25.5% | +2.3% |
| 1986 | 26.0% | +1.9% |
| 1987 | 26.5% | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 26.8% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 26.9% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 27.4% | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 26.4% | -3.5% |
| 1992 | 26.7% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 26.7% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 26.8% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 27.2% | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 27.5% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 28.8% | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 27.5% | -4.3% |
| 1999 | 30.0% | +8.8% |
| 2000 | 30.3% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 29.9% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 30.1% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 32.3% | +7.5% |
| 2004 | 33.4% | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 32.9% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 31.7% | -3.7% |
| 2007 | 31.4% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 31.6% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 31.3% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 30.3% | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 29.8% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 30.0% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 30.8% | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 31.0% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 30.9% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 30.5% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 30.8% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 30.3% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 30.0% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 29.8% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 29.8% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 29.8% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 30.0% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 27.3% | 25.3% | 29.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 24.2% | 23.8% | 24.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 25.7% | 24.7% | 26.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 27.5% | 26.4% | 30.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 31.5% | 29.9% | 33.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.5% | 29.8% | 31.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.9% | 29.8% | 30.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More agriculture & rural data for Netherlands
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 6.75 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0168 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,240 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -6.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.0406 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in Netherlands?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Netherlands was 30.0% 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 Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 33.4% in 2004.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.8% in 1973.
- How does Netherlands rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Netherlands ranks 31st out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Netherlands 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.