Arable land — Area, per square kilometre in South Africa
South Africa: Arable land — Area, per square kilometre was 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
93rd
of 184 countries
All-time high
0.0114 1000 ha per square kilometre
in 2000
All-time low
0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land — Area, per square kilometre in South Africa, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in 1000 ha per square kilometre.
Analysis
The most recent figure for arable land — area, per square kilometre in South Africa is 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land — area, per square kilometre in South Africa peaked at 0.0114 1000 ha per square kilometre in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre, in 1961.
South Africa ranks 93rd of 184 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Arable land — Area, per square kilometre in South Africa, year by year
| Year | 1000 ha per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 0.01 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1964 | 0.01 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 0.0101 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 0.0101 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 0.0101 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1968 | 0.0101 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 0.0101 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 0.0101 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1971 | 0.0101 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 0.0101 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 0.0101 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 0.0101 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 0.0101 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 0.0101 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 0.0101 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 0.0102 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 0.0102 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 0.0102 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 0.0102 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 0.0102 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 0.0102 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.0102 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.0102 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.0104 1000 ha per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 1987 | 0.0103 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 0.0104 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 0.0105 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 0.0106 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 0.0106 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 0.0109 1000 ha per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 0.0111 1000 ha per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 0.0111 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 0.0111 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 0.0113 1000 ha per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 0.0113 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 0.0113 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.0113 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 0.0114 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 0.0113 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 0.0113 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 0.0112 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 0.011 1000 ha per square kilometre | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 0.0109 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 0.0104 1000 ha per square kilometre | -4.4% |
| 2007 | 0.0104 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.0106 1000 ha per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 0.0104 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 0.0103 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.0094 1000 ha per square kilometre, 1.1× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.0109 1000 ha per square kilometre, 91% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.01 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0101 1000 ha per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.0101 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0101 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0102 1000 ha per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0103 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0102 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0105 1000 ha per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0111 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0106 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0113 1000 ha per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0109 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0104 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0114 1000 ha per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0103 1000 ha per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 90 Mexico 0.0103 1000 ha per square kilometre compare
- 91 Eswatini 0.0103 1000 ha per square kilometre compare
- 92 Switzerland 0.01 1000 ha per square kilometre compare
- 94 Indonesia 0.0094 1000 ha per square kilometre compare
- 95 Portugal 0.0092 1000 ha per square kilometre compare
- 96 Uzbekistan 0.0091 1000 ha per square kilometre compare
More environment data for South Africa
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 8.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.275 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.4366 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 1.85 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land — area, per square kilometre in South Africa?
- Arable land — area, per square kilometre in South Africa was 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest arable land — area, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0114 1000 ha per square kilometre in 2000.
- What is the lowest arable land — area, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0099 1000 ha per square kilometre in 1961.
- How does South Africa rank for arable land — area, per square kilometre?
- South Africa ranks 93rd out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land — area, per square kilometre rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Arable land — Area, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Arable land — Area divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Arable land — Area ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Arable land — Area Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Arable land — Area divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.