Arable land — Area in Southern Africa
Southern Africa: Arable land — Area was 13,812 1000 ha in 2024. ▬ Flat
Arable land — Area in Southern Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in 1000 ha.
Analysis
Southern Africa recorded 13,812 1000 ha for arable land — area in 2024.
That represents a change of up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land — area in Southern Africa peaked at 15,387 1000 ha in 2000 and was at its lowest, 13,387 1000 ha, in 2019.
That places Southern Africa 31st out of 32 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Arable land — Area in Southern Africa, year by year
| Year | 1000 ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 13,522 1000 ha | — |
| 1962 | 13,577 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 13,622 1000 ha | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 13,681 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 13,740 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 13,763 1000 ha | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 13,779 1000 ha | +0.1% |
| 1968 | 13,793 1000 ha | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 13,798 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 13,812 1000 ha | +0.1% |
| 1971 | 13,815 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 13,839 1000 ha | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 13,848 1000 ha | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 13,844 1000 ha | -0.0% |
| 1975 | 13,882 1000 ha | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 13,870 1000 ha | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 13,800 1000 ha | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 13,850 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 13,873 1000 ha | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 13,868 1000 ha | -0.0% |
| 1981 | 13,834 1000 ha | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 13,836 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 13,836 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 13,886 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 13,880 1000 ha | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 14,108 1000 ha | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 14,109 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 14,185 1000 ha | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 14,267 1000 ha | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 14,377 1000 ha | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 14,467 1000 ha | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 14,724 1000 ha | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 15,005 1000 ha | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 15,059 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 15,159 1000 ha | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 15,309 1000 ha | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 15,338 1000 ha | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 15,317 1000 ha | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 15,356 1000 ha | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 15,387 1000 ha | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 15,239 1000 ha | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 15,232 1000 ha | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 15,110 1000 ha | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 14,842 1000 ha | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 14,704 1000 ha | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 14,094 1000 ha | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 14,084 1000 ha | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 14,414 1000 ha | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 14,288 1000 ha | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 14,091 1000 ha | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 13,642 1000 ha | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 13,543 1000 ha | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 13,505 1000 ha | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 13,651 1000 ha | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 13,456 1000 ha | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 13,589 1000 ha | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 13,656 1000 ha | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 13,671 1000 ha | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 13,387 1000 ha | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 13,582 1000 ha | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 13,734 1000 ha | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 13,812 1000 ha | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 13,812 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 13,812 1000 ha | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 13,697 1000 ha | 13,522 1000 ha | 13,798 1000 ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 13,843 1000 ha | 13,800 1000 ha | 13,882 1000 ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 13,981 1000 ha | 13,834 1000 ha | 14,267 1000 ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 15,011 1000 ha | 14,377 1000 ha | 15,356 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 14,739 1000 ha | 14,084 1000 ha | 15,387 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 13,619 1000 ha | 13,387 1000 ha | 14,091 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 13,751 1000 ha | 13,582 1000 ha | 13,812 1000 ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Southern Africa
- 28 Thailand 15,729 1000 ha compare
- 29 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 15,699 1000 ha compare
- 30 United Republic of Tanzania 13,702 1000 ha compare
- 31 South Africa 12,000 1000 ha compare
- 32 Germany 11,656 1000 ha compare
- 33 Spain 11,384 1000 ha compare
- 34 Poland 11,187 1000 ha compare
More environment data for Southern Africa
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 4.17 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 7.61 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.282 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.892 °C (2025)
- Wood fuel, coniferous — Production 770,000 m3 (2024)
- Roundwood, non-coniferous — Production 27.42 million m3 (2024)
- Wood fuel, non-coniferous — Production 17.80 million m3 (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Production 17.26 million m3 (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Import quantity 161,260 m3 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land — area in Southern Africa?
- Arable land — area in Southern Africa was 13,812 1000 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest arable land — area recorded in Southern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 15,387 1000 ha in 2000.
- What is the lowest arable land — area recorded in Southern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 13,387 1000 ha in 2019.
- How does Southern Africa rank for arable land — area?
- Southern Africa ranks 31st out of 32 groups with data for 2024.
- Is arable land — area rising or falling in Southern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Southern 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
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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.