Arable land — all countries

Arable land — Southern Africa

Arable land in Southern Africa in 2023 — 13,593,748 ha. Since 1961, the indicator has risen by 0.5%.

2023 13.59M ha +0.63% vs 2022
World rank
Period maximum 15.49M ha2000
Period minimum 13.39M ha2019

Trend over time

1961–2023 · hectares

Arable land — Southern Africa, 1961–202313M14M15M16M19611968197519821989199620032010201720231961: 13,522,000 ha1963: 13,622,000 ha1965: 13,740,000 ha1967: 13,779,000 ha1969: 13,798,000 ha1971: 13,815,000 ha1973: 13,848,000 ha1975: 13,882,000 ha1977: 13,800,000 ha1979: 13,873,000 ha1981: 13,834,000 ha1983: 13,836,000 ha1985: 13,880,000 ha1987: 14,109,000 ha1989: 14,267,000 ha1991: 14,362,000 ha1993: 14,982,000 ha1995: 15,159,000 ha1997: 15,319,000 ha1999: 15,319,000 ha2001: 15,209,000 ha2003: 15,088,000 ha2005: 14,703,500 ha2007: 14,084,000 ha2009: 14,288,000 ha2011: 13,642,000 ha2013: 13,505,100 ha2015: 13,455,600 ha2017: 13,656,000 ha2019: 13,387,400 ha2021: 13,462,400 ha2023: 13,593,748 ha
Change over the period: +71,748 (+0.53%) Average annual rate: 0.01 %

Comparison, 2023

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Southern Africa

Southern Africa 13.59M ha
World computed 1.38B ha
Arable land — Southern Africa, by year Southern Africa All countries CSV XLSX
Year ha Change Change, %
2023 13.59M +85,348 +0.63%
2022 13.51M +46,000 +0.34%
2021 13.46M −120,000 −0.88%
2020 13.58M +195,000 +1.46%
2019 13.39M −283,900 −2.08%
2018 13.67M +15,300 +0.11%
2017 13.66M +67,400 +0.5%
2016 13.59M +133,000 +0.99%
2015 13.46M −195,700 −1.43%
2014 13.65M +146,200 +1.08%
2013 13.51M −38,200 −0.28%
2012 13.54M −98,700 −0.72%
2011 13.64M −449,000 −3.19%
2010 14.09M −197,000 −1.38%
2009 14.29M −126,000 −0.87%
2008 14.41M +330,000 +2.34%
2007 14.08M −10,000 −0.07%
2006 14.09M −609,500 −4.15%
2005 14.7M −125,500 −0.85%
2004 14.83M −259,000 −1.72%
2003 15.09M −151,000 −0.99%
2002 15.24M +30,000 +0.2%
2001 15.21M −277,000 −1.79%
2000 15.49M +167,000 +1.09%
1999 15.32M +70,000 +0.46%
1998 15.25M −70,000 −0.46%
1997 15.32M +8,000 +0.05%
1996 15.31M +152,000 +1%
1995 15.16M +64,000 +0.42%
1994 15.1M +113,000 +0.75%
1993 14.98M +398,000 +2.73%
1992 14.58M +222,000 +1.55%
1991 14.36M −15,000 −0.1%
1990 14.38M +110,000 +0.77%
1989 14.27M +82,000 +0.58%
1988 14.19M +76,000 +0.54%
1987 14.11M +1,000 +0.01%
1986 14.11M +228,000 +1.64%
1985 13.88M −6,000 −0.04%
1984 13.89M +50,000 +0.36%
1983 13.84M +0 +0%
1982 13.84M +2,000 +0.01%
1981 13.83M −34,000 −0.25%
1980 13.87M −5,000 −0.04%
1979 13.87M +23,000 +0.17%
1978 13.85M +50,000 +0.36%
1977 13.8M −70,000 −0.5%
1976 13.87M −12,000 −0.09%
1975 13.88M +38,000 +0.27%
1974 13.84M −4,000 −0.03%
1973 13.85M +9,000 +0.07%
1972 13.84M +24,000 +0.17%
1971 13.82M +3,000 +0.02%
1970 13.81M +14,000 +0.1%
1969 13.8M +5,000 +0.04%
1968 13.79M +14,000 +0.1%
1967 13.78M +16,000 +0.12%
1966 13.76M +23,000 +0.17%
1965 13.74M +59,000 +0.43%
1964 13.68M +59,000 +0.43%
1963 13.62M +45,000 +0.33%
1962 13.58M +55,000 +0.41%
1961 13.52M

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.