Agricultural land area — Arable land in Australia

Australia: Agricultural land area — Arable land was 64,949 Hectares in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
64,949 Hectares
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
4th
of 42 countries
All-time high
90,460 Hectares
in 2009
All-time low
41,223 Hectares
in 1997
Years of data
36
1985–2020

Agricultural land area — Arable land in Australia, 1985–2020

020.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k100.0k1985200220201985: 49.7k Hectares1986: 50.1k Hectares1987: 49.3k Hectares1988: 49.2k Hectares1989: 50.0k Hectares1990: 49.9k Hectares1991: 47.4k Hectares1992: 48.6k Hectares1993: 47.4k Hectares1994: 48.6k Hectares1995: 53.3k Hectares1996: 77.1k Hectares1997: 41.2k Hectares1998: 45.3k Hectares1999: 46.7k Hectares2000: 48.1k Hectares2001: 51.3k Hectares2002: 49.2k Hectares2003: 59.7k Hectares2004: 62.8k Hectares2005: 63.5k Hectares2006: 58.5k Hectares2007: 58.5k Hectares2008: 88.9k Hectares2009: 90.5k Hectares2010: 87.4k Hectares2011: 82.8k Hectares2012: 78.5k Hectares2013: 70.8k Hectares2014: 77.0k Hectares2015: 65.0k Hectares2016: 61.5k Hectares2017: 63.4k Hectares2018: 64.5k Hectares2019: 64.0k Hectares2020: 64.9k Hectares

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Hectares.

Analysis

In 2020, agricultural land area — arable land in Australia stood at 64,949 Hectares.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and down 25.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, agricultural land area — arable land in Australia peaked at 90,460 Hectares in 2009 and was at its lowest, 41,223 Hectares, in 1997.

Australia ranks 4th of 42 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.

Agricultural land area — Arable land in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Agricultural land area — Arable land in Australia, 1985 to 2020.
Year Hectares Change
1985 49,715 Hectares
1986 50,138 Hectares +0.9%
1987 49,330 Hectares -1.6%
1988 49,213 Hectares -0.2%
1989 49,967 Hectares +1.5%
1990 49,948 Hectares -0.0%
1991 47,424 Hectares -5.1%
1992 48,623 Hectares +2.5%
1993 47,388 Hectares -2.5%
1994 48,567 Hectares +2.5%
1995 53,328 Hectares +9.8%
1996 77,115 Hectares +44.6%
1997 41,223 Hectares -46.5%
1998 45,314 Hectares +9.9%
1999 46,740 Hectares +3.1%
2000 48,072 Hectares +2.9%
2001 51,313 Hectares +6.7%
2002 49,181 Hectares -4.2%
2003 59,672 Hectares +21.3%
2004 62,805 Hectares +5.3%
2005 63,493 Hectares +1.1%
2006 58,541 Hectares -7.8%
2007 58,496 Hectares -0.1%
2008 88,928 Hectares +52.0%
2009 90,460 Hectares +1.7%
2010 87,400 Hectares -3.4%
2011 82,850 Hectares -5.2%
2012 78,513 Hectares -5.2%
2013 70,761 Hectares -9.9%
2014 77,046 Hectares +8.9%
2015 64,964 Hectares -15.7%
2016 61,538 Hectares -5.3%
2017 63,376 Hectares +3.0%
2018 64,495 Hectares +1.8%
2019 64,020 Hectares -0.7%
2020 64,949 Hectares +1.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 49,673 Hectares 49,213 Hectares 50,138 Hectares 5
1990s 50,567 Hectares 41,223 Hectares 77,115 Hectares 10
2000s 63,096 Hectares 48,072 Hectares 90,460 Hectares 10
2010s 71,496 Hectares 61,538 Hectares 87,400 Hectares 10
2020s 64,949 Hectares 64,949 Hectares 64,949 Hectares 1

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 1 India 153,869 Hectares compare
  2. 2 Russian Federation 121,649 Hectares compare
  3. 3 China 109,018 Hectares compare
  4. 5 Brazil 55,642 Hectares compare
  5. 6 Argentina 40,387 Hectares compare
  6. 7 Canada 37,848 Hectares compare

See the full ranking of 57 places →

More environment data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is agricultural land area — arable land in Australia?
Agricultural land area — arable land in Australia was 64,949 Hectares in 2020, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest agricultural land area — arable land recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 90,460 Hectares in 2009.
What is the lowest agricultural land area — arable land recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 41,223 Hectares in 1997.
How does Australia rank for agricultural land area — arable land?
Australia ranks 4th out of 42 countries with data for 2020.
Is agricultural land area — arable land rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is down 25.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Agricultural land area — Arable land. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Agricultural land area — Arable land in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/agricultural-land-area-arable-land/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Agricultural land area — Arable land
Unit
Hectares
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
57 places, 2,005 data points, 1984–2025
Last refreshed