Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Samoa
Samoa: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 3.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Samoa, 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 Samoa is 3.9%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.1% on the previous year and down 54.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Samoa peaked at 11.5% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 2.8%, in 2009.
That places Samoa 150th 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 Samoa, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3.5% | — |
| 1962 | 3.9% | +10.0% |
| 1963 | 3.9% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 3.9% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 3.9% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 3.9% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 3.9% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 4.2% | +9.1% |
| 1969 | 4.2% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 4.4% | +4.2% |
| 1971 | 4.6% | +4.0% |
| 1972 | 4.6% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 4.6% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 4.6% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 4.9% | +7.7% |
| 1976 | 5.3% | +7.1% |
| 1977 | 5.3% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 5.3% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 5.5% | +3.3% |
| 1980 | 5.7% | +3.2% |
| 1981 | 5.7% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 5.7% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 5.9% | +3.7% |
| 1984 | 6.0% | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 6.0% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 6.1% | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 6.3% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 6.4% | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 6.5% | +2.8% |
| 1990 | 6.7% | +2.7% |
| 1991 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 6.0% | -10.5% |
| 1993 | 6.0% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 6.0% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 6.0% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 6.0% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 6.0% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 6.0% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 5.8% | -4.1% |
| 2000 | 4.9% | -14.1% |
| 2001 | 4.9% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 4.6% | -7.1% |
| 2003 | 4.6% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 4.2% | -7.7% |
| 2005 | 3.9% | -8.3% |
| 2006 | 3.7% | -5.5% |
| 2007 | 3.5% | -3.8% |
| 2008 | 3.2% | -10.0% |
| 2009 | 2.8% | -12.2% |
| 2010 | 4.2% | +51.9% |
| 2011 | 5.7% | +33.3% |
| 2012 | 7.1% | +25.0% |
| 2013 | 8.5% | +20.0% |
| 2014 | 9.9% | +16.7% |
| 2015 | 11.5% | +15.9% |
| 2016 | 9.1% | -20.6% |
| 2017 | 6.9% | -24.7% |
| 2018 | 4.4% | -35.2% |
| 2019 | 4.1% | -8.6% |
| 2020 | 4.1% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 4.1% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 4.1% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 3.9% | -5.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.9% | 3.5% | 4.2% | 9 |
| 1970s | 4.9% | 4.4% | 5.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.0% | 5.7% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.1% | 5.8% | 6.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.0% | 2.8% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.1% | 4.1% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.0% | 3.9% | 4.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Samoa
- 147 Ecuador 4.1% compare
- 148 Australia 4.0% compare
- 149 South Sudan 3.9% compare
- 151 Turkmenistan 3.4% compare
- 152 Costa Rica 3.3% compare
- 153 Algeria 3.2% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Samoa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 1.65 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0909 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 533.81 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.586 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.8249 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 9.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 9.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in Samoa?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Samoa was 3.9% 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 Samoa?
- The highest recorded value was 11.5% in 2015.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Samoa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.8% in 2009.
- How does Samoa rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Samoa ranks 150th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Samoa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 54.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Samoa 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.
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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.