Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 1.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Saudi Arabia, 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
Saudi Arabia recorded 1.6% for share of land area used for arable agriculture in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Saudi Arabia peaked at 1.7% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1961.
Saudi Arabia ranks 178th of 206 countries on this measure, 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 Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.5% | — |
| 1962 | 0.5% | +1.8% |
| 1963 | 0.5% | +1.7% |
| 1964 | 0.6% | +1.7% |
| 1965 | 0.6% | +1.7% |
| 1966 | 0.6% | +1.6% |
| 1967 | 0.6% | +1.6% |
| 1968 | 0.6% | +2.4% |
| 1969 | 0.6% | +2.3% |
| 1970 | 0.6% | +3.0% |
| 1971 | 0.7% | +2.9% |
| 1972 | 0.7% | +3.6% |
| 1973 | 0.7% | +3.4% |
| 1974 | 0.7% | +4.0% |
| 1975 | 0.8% | +3.8% |
| 1976 | 0.8% | +3.7% |
| 1977 | 0.8% | +3.6% |
| 1978 | 0.8% | +2.9% |
| 1979 | 0.9% | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 0.9% | +2.7% |
| 1981 | 0.9% | +2.6% |
| 1982 | 0.9% | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 1.0% | +10.6% |
| 1984 | 1.1% | +6.8% |
| 1985 | 1.2% | +8.5% |
| 1986 | 1.3% | +5.9% |
| 1987 | 1.3% | +7.4% |
| 1988 | 1.4% | +5.2% |
| 1989 | 1.5% | +4.9% |
| 1990 | 1.6% | +5.9% |
| 1991 | 1.7% | +5.6% |
| 1992 | 1.7% | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 1.7% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 1.7% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 1.7% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 1.7% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 1.7% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 1.7% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 1.7% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 1.7% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 1.7% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 1.7% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 1.7% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 1.7% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 1.7% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 1.6% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 1.6% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 1.6% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 1.6% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 1.6% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 1.6% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 1.6% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 1.6% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 1.6% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 1.6% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 1.6% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 1.6% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 1.6% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1.6% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1.6% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1.6% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More agriculture & rural data for Saudi Arabia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.2 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0259 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 894.48 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 3.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1539 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in Saudi Arabia?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Saudi Arabia was 1.6% 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.7% in 1993.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1961.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 178th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.