Agricultural land — Area in Australia
Australia: Agricultural land — Area was 363,519 1000 ha in 2024. ▼ Falling
Agricultural land — Area in Australia, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in 1000 ha.
Analysis
In 2024, agricultural land — area in Australia stood at 363,519 1000 ha.
That represents a change of down 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land — area in Australia peaked at 513,570 1000 ha in 1968 and was at its lowest, 342,602 1000 ha, in 2016.
That places Australia 7th out of 255 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Agricultural land — Area in Australia, year by year
| Year | 1000 ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 474,484 1000 ha | — |
| 1962 | 476,593 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 479,370 1000 ha | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 481,904 1000 ha | +0.5% |
| 1965 | 486,259 1000 ha | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 487,029 1000 ha | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 489,581 1000 ha | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 513,570 1000 ha | +4.9% |
| 1969 | 510,888 1000 ha | -0.5% |
| 1970 | 493,432 1000 ha | -3.4% |
| 1971 | 499,536 1000 ha | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 499,815 1000 ha | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 497,897 1000 ha | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 500,357 1000 ha | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 499,547 1000 ha | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 500,742 1000 ha | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 491,510 1000 ha | -1.8% |
| 1978 | 496,100 1000 ha | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 493,238 1000 ha | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 495,638 1000 ha | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 495,565 1000 ha | -0.0% |
| 1982 | 490,772 1000 ha | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 483,789 1000 ha | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 486,558 1000 ha | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 486,791 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 468,541 1000 ha | -3.7% |
| 1987 | 471,020 1000 ha | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 472,052 1000 ha | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 467,104 1000 ha | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 464,437 1000 ha | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 462,782 1000 ha | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 466,004 1000 ha | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 460,097 1000 ha | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 469,143 1000 ha | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 463,388 1000 ha | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 465,230 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 462,233 1000 ha | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 463,881 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 453,693 1000 ha | -2.2% |
| 2000 | 455,469 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 455,700 1000 ha | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 447,000 1000 ha | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 439,500 1000 ha | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 394,906 1000 ha | -10.1% |
| 2005 | 410,230 1000 ha | +3.9% |
| 2006 | 409,302 1000 ha | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 398,356 1000 ha | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 389,288 1000 ha | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 384,257 1000 ha | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 376,372 1000 ha | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 396,121 1000 ha | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 387,076 1000 ha | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 371,775 1000 ha | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 374,423 1000 ha | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 348,119 1000 ha | -7.0% |
| 2016 | 342,602 1000 ha | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 371,837 1000 ha | +8.5% |
| 2018 | 358,895 1000 ha | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 362,477 1000 ha | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 355,775 1000 ha | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 363,519 1000 ha | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 363,519 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 363,519 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 363,519 1000 ha | +0.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 363,519 1000 ha is above the median for high income countries, which is 851 1000 ha, 427.2× the median. (76 countries reporting)
- Australia's 363,519 1000 ha is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 246.84 1000 ha, 1472.7× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 488,853 1000 ha | 474,484 1000 ha | 513,570 1000 ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 497,217 1000 ha | 491,510 1000 ha | 500,742 1000 ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 481,783 1000 ha | 467,104 1000 ha | 495,638 1000 ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 463,089 1000 ha | 453,693 1000 ha | 469,143 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 418,401 1000 ha | 384,257 1000 ha | 455,700 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 368,970 1000 ha | 342,602 1000 ha | 396,121 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 361,970 1000 ha | 355,775 1000 ha | 363,519 1000 ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 4 China 392,604 1000 ha compare
- 5 China, mainland 391,823 1000 ha compare
- 6 Australia and New Zealand 373,213 1000 ha compare
- 8 Brazil 237,091 1000 ha compare
- 9 Russian Federation 215,712 1000 ha compare
- 9 Russia 215,712 1000 ha compare
More environment data for Australia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.75 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.345 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.4 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate -1.03 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.6708 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.0861 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land — area in Australia?
- Agricultural land — area in Australia was 363,519 1000 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest agricultural land — area recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 513,570 1000 ha in 1968.
- What is the lowest agricultural land — area recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 342,602 1000 ha in 2016.
- How does Australia rank for agricultural land — area?
- Australia ranks 7th out of 255 countries with data for 2024.
- Is agricultural land — area rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Agricultural land — Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
The FAOSTAT Land Use domain contains data on twenty-one land use categories and twenty-three categories of irrigation and agricultural practices. Data are available yearly and by country, regional and global levels. The domain includes Land Use Indicators providing information on the percentage share of agricultural and forest land, and their sub-components, including irrigated areas and areas under organic agriculture, within a country land use matrix. Data are available at country, regional and global level, for the following elements: (in percentage) i) Share in Land area; ii) Share in Agricultural land, iii) Share in Cropland; and iv) Share in Forest land; (in ha/pc) v) Area per capita.