Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 12.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Nicaragua, 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
In 2023, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Nicaragua stood at 12.5%.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Nicaragua peaked at 16.2% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 8.6%, in 1961.
That places Nicaragua 84th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 8.6% | — |
| 1962 | 8.6% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 8.6% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 8.6% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 8.6% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 8.6% | +1.0% |
| 1967 | 8.6% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 8.6% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 8.6% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 8.6% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 8.6% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 8.6% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 8.7% | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 8.8% | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 8.8% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 8.8% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 8.8% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 8.8% | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 8.9% | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 8.9% | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 9.6% | +7.5% |
| 1982 | 9.6% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 9.6% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 10.0% | +4.3% |
| 1985 | 10.1% | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 10.1% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 10.4% | +2.5% |
| 1988 | 10.6% | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 10.8% | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 10.8% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 10.8% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 11.0% | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 11.2% | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 11.2% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 13.7% | +22.2% |
| 1996 | 13.7% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 14.5% | +6.1% |
| 1998 | 15.0% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 15.4% | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 15.9% | +3.6% |
| 2001 | 15.9% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 16.0% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 16.0% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 16.1% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 16.2% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 15.5% | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 14.9% | -4.2% |
| 2008 | 14.2% | -4.4% |
| 2009 | 13.6% | -4.6% |
| 2010 | 12.9% | -4.8% |
| 2011 | 12.5% | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 12.5% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 12.5% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 12.5% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 12.5% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 12.5% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 12.5% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 12.5% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 12.5% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 12.5% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 12.5% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 12.5% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 12.5% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.6% | 8.6% | 8.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | 8.8% | 8.6% | 8.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.0% | 8.9% | 10.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.7% | 10.8% | 15.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.4% | 13.6% | 16.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.5% | 12.5% | 12.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.5% | 12.5% | 12.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More agriculture & rural data for Nicaragua
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 12.55 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1448 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 459.4 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.8714 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4056 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 14.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 14.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in Nicaragua?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Nicaragua was 12.5% 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 Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 16.2% in 2005.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.6% in 1961.
- How does Nicaragua rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Nicaragua ranks 84th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nicaragua 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.