Arable land — all countries

Arable land — Sub-Saharan Africa

Arable land in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2023 — 239,690,184 ha. Since 1961, the indicator has risen by 119.8%.

2023 240M ha +0.53% vs 2022
World rank
Period maximum 240M ha2023
Period minimum 109M ha1961

Trend over time

1961–2023 · hectares

Arable land — Sub-Saharan Africa, 1961–2023100M150M200M250M19611968197519821989199620032010201720231961: 109,060,137 ha1963: 111,210,939 ha1965: 112,774,654 ha1967: 113,770,849 ha1969: 115,899,543 ha1971: 117,044,182 ha1973: 117,747,505 ha1975: 118,530,475 ha1977: 119,507,381 ha1979: 121,344,314 ha1981: 122,062,977 ha1983: 124,001,658 ha1985: 127,770,460 ha1987: 129,092,682 ha1989: 131,592,618 ha1991: 136,039,335 ha1993: 151,012,601 ha1995: 156,645,396 ha1997: 159,449,021 ha1999: 163,047,351 ha2001: 164,881,495 ha2003: 170,196,819 ha2005: 174,651,043 ha2007: 178,514,158 ha2009: 186,227,597 ha2011: 192,884,589 ha2013: 222,295,702 ha2015: 226,331,272 ha2017: 231,180,028 ha2019: 235,056,042 ha2021: 236,976,907 ha2023: 239,690,184 ha
Change over the period: +131M (+119.78%) Average annual rate: 1.28 %

Comparison, 2023

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa 240M ha
World computed 1.38B ha
Arable land — Sub-Saharan Africa, by year Sub-Saharan Africa All countries CSV XLSX
Year ha Change Change, %
2023 240M +1.27M +0.53%
2022 238M +1.44M +0.61%
2021 237M +1.21M +0.51%
2020 236M +710,313 +0.3%
2019 235M +1.19M +0.51%
2018 234M +2.69M +1.16%
2017 231M +2.23M +0.97%
2016 229M +2.62M +1.16%
2015 226M +1.94M +0.87%
2014 224M +2.09M +0.94%
2013 222M +3.27M +1.49%
2012 219M +26.15M +13.55%
2011 193M +3.81M +2.02%
2010 189M +2.84M +1.53%
2009 186M +4.66M +2.57%
2008 182M +3.05M +1.71%
2007 179M +2.51M +1.42%
2006 176M +1.36M +0.78%
2005 175M +2.71M +1.57%
2004 172M +1.75M +1.03%
2003 170M +3.69M +2.21%
2002 167M +1.63M +0.99%
2001 165M +1.13M +0.69%
2000 164M +708,578 +0.43%
1999 163M +2.72M +1.69%
1998 160M +882,195 +0.55%
1997 159M +917,681 +0.58%
1996 159M +1.89M +1.2%
1995 157M +3.75M +2.45%
1994 153M +1.88M +1.25%
1993 151M +12.42M +8.96%
1992 139M +2.55M +1.88%
1991 136M +2.5M +1.87%
1990 134M +1.95M +1.48%
1989 132M +1.38M +1.06%
1988 130M +1.12M +0.87%
1987 129M +247,653 +0.19%
1986 129M +1.07M +0.84%
1985 128M +2.69M +2.15%
1984 125M +1.07M +0.87%
1983 124M +986,441 +0.8%
1982 123M +952,241 +0.78%
1981 122M +210,214 +0.17%
1980 122M +508,449 +0.42%
1979 121M +334,824 +0.28%
1978 121M +1.5M +1.26%
1977 120M +266,435 +0.22%
1976 119M +710,471 +0.6%
1975 119M +1.14M +0.97%
1974 117M −353,411 −0.3%
1973 118M +203,078 +0.17%
1972 118M +500,245 +0.43%
1971 117M +802,607 +0.69%
1970 116M +342,032 +0.3%
1969 116M +654,689 +0.57%
1968 115M +1.47M +1.3%
1967 114M +574,277 +0.51%
1966 113M +421,918 +0.37%
1965 113M +680,521 +0.61%
1964 112M +883,195 +0.79%
1963 111M +1.72M +1.57%
1962 109M +426,503 +0.39%
1961 109M

About the indicator

The area of arable land: land under annual crops, temporary meadows, kitchen gardens and land lying fallow for up to five years. It differs from agricultural land in excluding pasture and permanent crops — and since pasture makes up most of agricultural land, arable land is usually about a third the size. The world area of arable land has barely grown since the 1990s: the added output of recent decades came from yields, not from an expansion of fields.

Important: Land lying fallow for up to five years is included, abandoned land is not. Permanent crops — orchards, vineyards, plantations — do not count as arable land.

Source: FAOSTAT (FAO), license CC BY 4.0.