Arable land — all countries

Arable land — World

Arable land in the world in 2023 — 1,379,725,457 ha. Since 1961, the indicator has risen by 38.9%.

2023 1.38B ha −0.13% vs 2022
World rank
Period maximum 1.39B ha2017
Period minimum 993M ha1961

Trend over time

1961–2023 · hectares

Arable land — World, 1961–2023900M1B1.1B1.2B1.3B1.4B19611968197519821989199620032010201720231961: 993,486,077 ha1963: 1,000,686,567 ha1965: 1,006,007,720 ha1967: 1,009,604,246 ha1969: 1,027,904,994 ha1971: 1,022,418,218 ha1973: 1,028,681,612 ha1975: 1,030,109,515 ha1977: 1,040,525,522 ha1979: 1,056,843,829 ha1981: 1,062,437,111 ha1983: 1,077,232,878 ha1985: 1,104,673,633 ha1987: 1,105,911,519 ha1989: 1,105,437,266 ha1991: 1,108,705,334 ha1993: 1,343,985,122 ha1995: 1,338,866,223 ha1997: 1,340,895,415 ha1999: 1,340,929,232 ha2001: 1,337,711,826 ha2003: 1,335,604,647 ha2005: 1,339,637,336 ha2007: 1,338,061,804 ha2009: 1,342,462,930 ha2011: 1,351,416,223 ha2013: 1,378,957,729 ha2015: 1,384,192,635 ha2017: 1,386,793,796 ha2019: 1,382,294,815 ha2021: 1,384,005,507 ha2023: 1,379,725,457 ha
Change over the period: +386M (+38.88%) Average annual rate: 0.53 %

Comparison, 2023

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

World 1.38B ha
World computed 1.38B ha
Arable land — World, by year World All countries CSV XLSX
Year ha Change Change, %
2023 1.38B −1.84M −0.13%
2022 1.38B −2.44M −0.18%
2021 1.38B +326,909 +0.02%
2020 1.38B +1.38M +0.1%
2019 1.38B −4.11M −0.3%
2018 1.39B −384,905 −0.03%
2017 1.39B +1.41M +0.1%
2016 1.39B +1.19M +0.09%
2015 1.38B +3.32M +0.24%
2014 1.38B +1.91M +0.14%
2013 1.38B +2.74M +0.2%
2012 1.38B +24.8M +1.84%
2011 1.35B +8.33M +0.62%
2010 1.34B +627,195 +0.05%
2009 1.34B +4.94M +0.37%
2008 1.34B −535,935 −0.04%
2007 1.34B −2.05M −0.15%
2006 1.34B +476,771 +0.04%
2005 1.34B +2.15M +0.16%
2004 1.34B +1.88M +0.14%
2003 1.34B +1.27M +0.1%
2002 1.33B −3.38M −0.25%
2001 1.34B −416,798 −0.03%
2000 1.34B −2.8M −0.21%
1999 1.34B +871,049 +0.07%
1998 1.34B −837,231 −0.06%
1997 1.34B +3.52M +0.26%
1996 1.34B −1.49M −0.11%
1995 1.34B −1.54M −0.11%
1994 1.34B −3.58M −0.27%
1993 1.34B +12M +0.9%
1992 1.33B +223M +20.14%
1991 1.11B +2.31M +0.21%
1990 1.11B +959,420 +0.09%
1989 1.11B +1.45M +0.13%
1988 1.1B −1.92M −0.17%
1987 1.11B +295,798 +0.03%
1986 1.11B +942,087 +0.09%
1985 1.1B +11.7M +1.07%
1984 1.09B +15.74M +1.46%
1983 1.08B +4.94M +0.46%
1982 1.07B +9.85M +0.93%
1981 1.06B +3.2M +0.3%
1980 1.06B +2.4M +0.23%
1979 1.06B +5.56M +0.53%
1978 1.05B +10.76M +1.03%
1977 1.04B +5.04M +0.49%
1976 1.04B +5.37M +0.52%
1975 1.03B +298,368 +0.03%
1974 1.03B +1.13M +0.11%
1973 1.03B +1.36M +0.13%
1972 1.03B +4.91M +0.48%
1971 1.02B −3.81M −0.37%
1970 1.03B −1.67M −0.16%
1969 1.03B +6.77M +0.66%
1968 1.02B +11.53M +1.14%
1967 1.01B +1.8M +0.18%
1966 1.01B +1.8M +0.18%
1965 1.01B +3.19M +0.32%
1964 1B +2.13M +0.21%
1963 1B +6.97M +0.7%
1962 994M +234,514 +0.02%
1961 993M

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.