Arable land — Area in Africa
Africa: Arable land — Area was 266,831 1000 ha in 2024. ▲ Rising
Arable land — Area in Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in 1000 ha.
Analysis
The most recent figure for arable land — area in Africa is 266,831 1000 ha, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land — area in Africa peaked at 266,831 1000 ha in 2024 and was at its lowest, 151,594 1000 ha, in 1961.
That places Africa 6th out of 32 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Arable land — Area in Africa, year by year
| Year | 1000 ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 151,594 1000 ha | — |
| 1962 | 152,346 1000 ha | +0.5% |
| 1963 | 154,277 1000 ha | +1.3% |
| 1964 | 155,328 1000 ha | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 156,795 1000 ha | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 157,610 1000 ha | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 158,430 1000 ha | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 160,040 1000 ha | +1.0% |
| 1969 | 161,010 1000 ha | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 161,464 1000 ha | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 162,878 1000 ha | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 163,952 1000 ha | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 164,381 1000 ha | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 164,246 1000 ha | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 165,962 1000 ha | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 167,063 1000 ha | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 167,409 1000 ha | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 168,962 1000 ha | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 169,203 1000 ha | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 169,644 1000 ha | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 169,966 1000 ha | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 170,846 1000 ha | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 171,558 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 172,615 1000 ha | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 175,279 1000 ha | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 176,305 1000 ha | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 176,539 1000 ha | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 177,567 1000 ha | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 179,098 1000 ha | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 181,156 1000 ha | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 184,044 1000 ha | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 187,784 1000 ha | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 191,259 1000 ha | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 193,808 1000 ha | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 198,681 1000 ha | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 201,244 1000 ha | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 202,208 1000 ha | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 203,030 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 205,806 1000 ha | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 206,279 1000 ha | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 207,466 1000 ha | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 208,888 1000 ha | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 214,955 1000 ha | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 217,013 1000 ha | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 219,443 1000 ha | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 220,679 1000 ha | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 223,216 1000 ha | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 226,642 1000 ha | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 229,869 1000 ha | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 236,770 1000 ha | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 238,404 1000 ha | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 243,349 1000 ha | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 245,941 1000 ha | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 248,328 1000 ha | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 251,703 1000 ha | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 255,000 1000 ha | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 259,104 1000 ha | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 261,192 1000 ha | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 258,831 1000 ha | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 260,620 1000 ha | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 262,516 1000 ha | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 264,329 1000 ha | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 265,940 1000 ha | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 266,831 1000 ha | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 156,381 1000 ha | 151,594 1000 ha | 161,010 1000 ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 165,552 1000 ha | 161,464 1000 ha | 169,203 1000 ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 173,942 1000 ha | 169,644 1000 ha | 179,098 1000 ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 194,902 1000 ha | 181,156 1000 ha | 205,806 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 217,445 1000 ha | 206,279 1000 ha | 229,869 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 249,862 1000 ha | 236,770 1000 ha | 261,192 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 264,047 1000 ha | 260,620 1000 ha | 266,831 1000 ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa
- 3 India 153,810 1000 ha compare
- 4 United States 151,553 1000 ha compare
- 5 Russian Federation 121,649 1000 ha compare
- 5 Russia 121,649 1000 ha compare
- 7 China 109,061 1000 ha compare
- 8 China, mainland 108,466 1000 ha compare
- 9 Brazil 55,642 1000 ha compare
More environment data for Africa
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -7.12 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -7.93 Percentage change (2025)
- Temperature change 1.32 °C (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.213 °C (2025)
- Other industrial roundwood, non-coniferous (production) — Production 26.92 million m3 (2024)
- Primary wood and paper products (export/import) — Import value 11.21 million 1000 USD (2024)
- Industrial roundwood, non-coniferous — Production 66.41 million m3 (2024)
- Sawlogs and veneer logs — Production 39.12 million m3 (2024)
- Sawlogs and veneer logs, coniferous — Production 9.31 million m3 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land — area in Africa?
- Arable land — area in Africa was 266,831 1000 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest arable land — area recorded in Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 266,831 1000 ha in 2024.
- What is the lowest arable land — area recorded in Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 151,594 1000 ha in 1961.
- How does Africa rank for arable land — area?
- Africa ranks 6th out of 32 groups with data for 2024.
- Is arable land — area rising or falling in Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Arable 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.