Arable land — Area in Ireland
Ireland: Arable land — Area was 433 1000 ha in 2024. ▼ Falling
Arable land — Area in Ireland, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in 1000 ha.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 433 1000 ha for arable land — area in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land — area in Ireland peaked at 651.6 1000 ha in 1961 and was at its lowest, 391.7 1000 ha, in 1991.
That places Ireland 151st out of 248 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Arable land — Area in Ireland, year by year
| Year | 1000 ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 651.6 1000 ha | — |
| 1962 | 646.8 1000 ha | -0.7% |
| 1963 | 615.1 1000 ha | -4.9% |
| 1964 | 585.6 1000 ha | -4.8% |
| 1965 | 567.3 1000 ha | -3.1% |
| 1966 | 513.1 1000 ha | -9.6% |
| 1967 | 528.1 1000 ha | +2.9% |
| 1968 | 529.5 1000 ha | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 515.3 1000 ha | -2.7% |
| 1970 | 532.2 1000 ha | +3.3% |
| 1971 | 535.5 1000 ha | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 509.7 1000 ha | -4.8% |
| 1973 | 482.2 1000 ha | -5.4% |
| 1974 | 470.5 1000 ha | -2.4% |
| 1975 | 457.5 1000 ha | -2.8% |
| 1976 | 474 1000 ha | +3.6% |
| 1977 | 502.8 1000 ha | +6.1% |
| 1978 | 507.3 1000 ha | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 518.2 1000 ha | +2.1% |
| 1980 | 553.5 1000 ha | +6.8% |
| 1981 | 531.1 1000 ha | -4.0% |
| 1982 | 517.2 1000 ha | -2.6% |
| 1983 | 497.5 1000 ha | -3.8% |
| 1984 | 514.4 1000 ha | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 504.6 1000 ha | -1.9% |
| 1986 | 465.9 1000 ha | -7.7% |
| 1987 | 438 1000 ha | -6.0% |
| 1988 | 421.1 1000 ha | -3.9% |
| 1989 | 414.4 1000 ha | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 394.6 1000 ha | -4.8% |
| 1991 | 391.7 1000 ha | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 392.9 1000 ha | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 403.9 1000 ha | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 400.3 1000 ha | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 396.6 1000 ha | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 403.7 1000 ha | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 424.8 1000 ha | +5.2% |
| 1998 | 445.9 1000 ha | +5.0% |
| 1999 | 467 1000 ha | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 488.1 1000 ha | +4.5% |
| 2001 | 510.23 1000 ha | +4.5% |
| 2002 | 519.23 1000 ha | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 531.23 1000 ha | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 521.65 1000 ha | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 488.69 1000 ha | -6.3% |
| 2006 | 467.08 1000 ha | -4.4% |
| 2007 | 465.45 1000 ha | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 485.65 1000 ha | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 462.59 1000 ha | -4.7% |
| 2010 | 438.84 1000 ha | -5.1% |
| 2011 | 459.14 1000 ha | +4.6% |
| 2012 | 482.61 1000 ha | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 474.04 1000 ha | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 465.18 1000 ha | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 453 1000 ha | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 461 1000 ha | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 461 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 451 1000 ha | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 443 1000 ha | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 444 1000 ha | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 436 1000 ha | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 446 1000 ha | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 439 1000 ha | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 433 1000 ha | -1.4% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 433 1000 ha is above the median for high income countries, which is 172.25 1000 ha, 2.5× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 433 1000 ha is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1,338 1000 ha, 32% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 572.49 1000 ha | 513.1 1000 ha | 651.6 1000 ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 498.99 1000 ha | 457.5 1000 ha | 535.5 1000 ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 485.77 1000 ha | 414.4 1000 ha | 553.5 1000 ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 412.14 1000 ha | 391.7 1000 ha | 467 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 493.99 1000 ha | 462.59 1000 ha | 531.23 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 458.88 1000 ha | 438.84 1000 ha | 482.61 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 439.6 1000 ha | 433 1000 ha | 446 1000 ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 148 Guinea-Bissau 453.35 1000 ha compare
- 149 Mauritania 450 1000 ha compare
- 150 Armenia 441.6 1000 ha compare
- 152 Bosnia and Herzegovina 411.11 1000 ha compare
- 153 North Macedonia 408 1000 ha compare
- 154 Switzerland 398.38 1000 ha compare
More environment data for Ireland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.17 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.412 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.89 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.13 % 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 -0.0083 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land — area in Ireland?
- Arable land — area in Ireland was 433 1000 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest arable land — area recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 651.6 1000 ha in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land — area recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 391.7 1000 ha in 1991.
- How does Ireland rank for arable land — area?
- Ireland ranks 151st out of 248 countries with data for 2024.
- Is arable land — area rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland 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.