Agricultural land — Area in South America
South America: Agricultural land — Area was 498,002 1000 ha in 2024. ▲ Rising
Agricultural land — Area in South America, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in 1000 ha.
Analysis
South America recorded 498,002 1000 ha for agricultural land — area in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land — area in South America peaked at 547,120 1000 ha in 1985 and was at its lowest, 448,584 1000 ha, in 1961.
That places South America 12th out of 32 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Agricultural land — Area in South America, year by year
| Year | 1000 ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 448,584 1000 ha | — |
| 1962 | 452,171 1000 ha | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 455,445 1000 ha | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 458,471 1000 ha | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 462,039 1000 ha | +0.8% |
| 1966 | 465,177 1000 ha | +0.7% |
| 1967 | 468,008 1000 ha | +0.6% |
| 1968 | 471,598 1000 ha | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 474,057 1000 ha | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 478,226 1000 ha | +0.9% |
| 1971 | 484,654 1000 ha | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 489,718 1000 ha | +1.0% |
| 1973 | 493,964 1000 ha | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 499,018 1000 ha | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 504,043 1000 ha | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 510,079 1000 ha | +1.2% |
| 1977 | 516,448 1000 ha | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 521,817 1000 ha | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 527,867 1000 ha | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 533,594 1000 ha | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 536,607 1000 ha | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 538,994 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 541,420 1000 ha | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 544,423 1000 ha | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 547,120 1000 ha | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 546,965 1000 ha | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 545,908 1000 ha | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 544,821 1000 ha | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 543,857 1000 ha | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 542,897 1000 ha | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 541,806 1000 ha | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 540,419 1000 ha | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 539,532 1000 ha | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 538,558 1000 ha | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 537,174 1000 ha | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 537,906 1000 ha | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 538,713 1000 ha | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 539,805 1000 ha | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 540,544 1000 ha | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 540,410 1000 ha | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 537,670 1000 ha | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 537,867 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 538,038 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 539,530 1000 ha | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 540,911 1000 ha | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 541,356 1000 ha | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 542,528 1000 ha | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 540,830 1000 ha | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 539,017 1000 ha | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 541,258 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 540,361 1000 ha | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 541,524 1000 ha | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 543,026 1000 ha | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 540,973 1000 ha | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 541,037 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 539,725 1000 ha | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 538,363 1000 ha | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 537,704 1000 ha | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 524,075 1000 ha | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 510,710 1000 ha | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 496,421 1000 ha | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 492,352 1000 ha | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 497,869 1000 ha | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 498,002 1000 ha | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 461,728 1000 ha | 448,584 1000 ha | 474,057 1000 ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 502,583 1000 ha | 478,226 1000 ha | 527,867 1000 ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 542,371 1000 ha | 533,594 1000 ha | 547,120 1000 ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 539,735 1000 ha | 537,174 1000 ha | 542,897 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 539,816 1000 ha | 537,670 1000 ha | 542,528 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 538,805 1000 ha | 524,075 1000 ha | 543,026 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 499,071 1000 ha | 492,352 1000 ha | 510,710 1000 ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near South America
- 9 Russian Federation 215,712 1000 ha compare
- 9 Russia 215,712 1000 ha compare
- 11 Kazakhstan 213,784 1000 ha compare
- 12 India 178,220 1000 ha compare
- 13 Saudi Arabia 175,590 1000 ha compare
- 14 Sudan (former) 137,246 1000 ha compare
- 15 Sudan 112,665 1000 ha compare
More environment data for South America
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.218 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.23 °C (2025)
- Roundwood — Production 477.72 million m3 (2024)
- Roundwood, non-coniferous — Production 379.32 million m3 (2024)
- Roundwood, coniferous — Production 98.40 million m3 (2024)
- Roundwood — Export value 589,290 1000 USD (2024)
- Roundwood — Export quantity 4.28 million m3 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land — area in South America?
- Agricultural land — area in South America was 498,002 1000 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest agricultural land — area recorded in South America?
- The highest recorded value was 547,120 1000 ha in 1985.
- What is the lowest agricultural land — area recorded in South America?
- The lowest recorded value was 448,584 1000 ha in 1961.
- How does South America rank for agricultural land — area?
- South America ranks 12th out of 32 groups with data for 2024.
- Is agricultural land — area rising or falling in South America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South America 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.