Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 7.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Timor-Leste, 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 Timor-Leste stood at 7.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Timor-Leste peaked at 8.7% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 4.7%, in 1961.
That places Timor-Leste 114th 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 Timor-Leste, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4.7% | — |
| 1962 | 4.7% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 4.7% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 4.7% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 4.7% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 4.7% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 4.8% | +2.9% |
| 1968 | 4.8% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 4.9% | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 5.2% | +6.8% |
| 1971 | 5.2% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 5.4% | +2.6% |
| 1973 | 5.7% | +6.3% |
| 1974 | 5.7% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 5.7% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 5.9% | +3.5% |
| 1977 | 6.1% | +2.3% |
| 1978 | 6.5% | +6.7% |
| 1979 | 6.7% | +4.2% |
| 1980 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 6.7% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 7.4% | +10.0% |
| 1991 | 8.1% | +9.1% |
| 1992 | 8.1% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 8.4% | +4.2% |
| 1994 | 8.7% | +4.0% |
| 1995 | 8.7% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 8.7% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 8.5% | -2.3% |
| 1998 | 8.4% | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 8.1% | -4.0% |
| 2000 | 8.1% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 8.0% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 8.0% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 8.0% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 8.0% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 7.9% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 7.9% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 7.9% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 7.9% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 7.8% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 7.8% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 7.8% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 7.7% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 7.7% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 7.7% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 7.7% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 7.6% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 7.6% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 7.6% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 7.5% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.8% | 4.7% | 4.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 5.8% | 5.2% | 6.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.7% | 6.7% | 6.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.3% | 7.4% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.9% | 7.8% | 8.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.7% | 7.5% | 7.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.5% | 7.5% | 7.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Timor-Leste
More agriculture & rural data for Timor-Leste
- Rural population 71.2% (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 376.12 million current US$ (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 268.53 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population 1.01 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.1% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2016 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 20.2% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 20.2% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in Timor-Leste?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Timor-Leste was 7.5% 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 Timor-Leste?
- The highest recorded value was 8.7% in 1994.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Timor-Leste?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.7% in 1961.
- How does Timor-Leste rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Timor-Leste ranks 114th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Timor-Leste?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Timor-Leste 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.