Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 22.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Sri Lanka, 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 Sri Lanka is 22.2%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Sri Lanka peaked at 22.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 9.2%, in 1962.
Sri Lanka ranks 48th of 206 countries on this measure, 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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 9.5% | — |
| 1962 | 9.2% | -3.0% |
| 1963 | 12.6% | +37.3% |
| 1964 | 12.6% | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 12.6% | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 12.6% | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 12.6% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 12.7% | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 12.8% | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 12.9% | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 13.0% | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 13.1% | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 13.2% | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 13.3% | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 14.2% | +6.7% |
| 1976 | 14.8% | +4.0% |
| 1977 | 15.4% | +4.1% |
| 1978 | 15.9% | +3.8% |
| 1979 | 14.2% | -10.8% |
| 1980 | 13.6% | -4.4% |
| 1981 | 14.0% | +3.3% |
| 1982 | 13.6% | -3.0% |
| 1983 | 13.9% | +1.9% |
| 1984 | 14.0% | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 13.7% | -2.0% |
| 1986 | 13.8% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 14.0% | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 14.0% | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 14.0% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 14.2% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 14.2% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 14.2% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 14.0% | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 14.1% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 14.2% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 14.0% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 14.0% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 14.0% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 14.1% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 14.4% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 14.4% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 14.7% | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 15.1% | +3.2% |
| 2004 | 14.4% | -5.3% |
| 2005 | 17.5% | +22.2% |
| 2006 | 16.7% | -4.5% |
| 2007 | 15.9% | -4.8% |
| 2008 | 19.1% | +20.0% |
| 2009 | 19.1% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 19.1% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 20.7% | +8.3% |
| 2012 | 20.7% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 20.7% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 20.7% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 21.0% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 21.2% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 21.3% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 22.2% | +3.9% |
| 2019 | 22.2% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 11.9% | 9.2% | 12.8% | 9 |
| 1970s | 14.0% | 12.9% | 15.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 13.9% | 13.6% | 14.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.1% | 14.0% | 14.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.1% | 14.4% | 19.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.0% | 19.1% | 22.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.2% | 22.2% | 22.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More agriculture & rural data for Sri Lanka
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0836 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 418.3 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9172 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7955 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in Sri Lanka?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Sri Lanka was 22.2% 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 22.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.2% in 1962.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Sri Lanka ranks 48th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.