Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Tonga
Tonga: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 27.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Tonga, 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 Tonga stood at 27.8%. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Tonga peaked at 27.8% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 16.7%, in 1961.
Tonga ranks 35th 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 Tonga, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 16.7% | — |
| 1962 | 19.4% | +16.7% |
| 1963 | 19.4% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 19.4% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 20.8% | +7.1% |
| 1966 | 20.8% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 20.8% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 20.8% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 23.6% | +13.3% |
| 1970 | 23.6% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 23.6% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 23.6% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 23.6% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 23.6% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 23.6% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 22.2% | -5.9% |
| 1977 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 20.8% | -6.3% |
| 1998 | 20.8% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 20.8% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 20.8% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 20.8% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 20.8% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 20.8% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 20.8% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 20.8% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 22.2% | +6.7% |
| 2007 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 22.2% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 23.6% | +6.3% |
| 2010 | 23.6% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 23.6% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 25.0% | +5.9% |
| 2013 | 25.0% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 26.4% | +5.6% |
| 2015 | 27.8% | +5.3% |
| 2016 | 27.8% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 27.8% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 27.8% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 27.8% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 27.8% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 27.8% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 27.8% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 27.8% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 20.2% | 16.7% | 23.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | 23.1% | 22.2% | 23.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 22.2% | 22.2% | 22.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.8% | 20.8% | 22.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.5% | 20.8% | 23.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.3% | 23.6% | 27.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.8% | 27.8% | 27.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
More agriculture & rural data for Tonga
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1857 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,154 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.4224 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7884 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 18.6% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 18.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.6% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.7% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for arable agriculture in Tonga?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Tonga was 27.8% 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 Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 27.8% in 2015.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.7% in 1961.
- How does Tonga rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Tonga ranks 35th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tonga 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
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.