Arable land — Share in Agricultural land in South America
South America: Arable land — Share in Agricultural land was 25.55 % in 2024. ▲ Rising
Arable land — Share in Agricultural land in South America, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for arable land — share in agricultural land in South America is 25.55 %, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 19.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land — share in agricultural land in South America peaked at 25.55 % in 2024 and was at its lowest, 13.61 %, in 1961.
That places South America 16th out of 31 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.
Arable land — Share in Agricultural land in South America, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 13.61 % | — |
| 1962 | 13.73 % | +0.9% |
| 1963 | 13.84 % | +0.8% |
| 1964 | 13.96 % | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 14.1 % | +1.0% |
| 1966 | 14.35 % | +1.8% |
| 1967 | 14.53 % | +1.3% |
| 1968 | 14.85 % | +2.2% |
| 1969 | 14.92 % | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 14.91 % | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 14.98 % | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 15.21 % | +1.5% |
| 1973 | 15.36 % | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 15.51 % | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 15.63 % | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 16.05 % | +2.7% |
| 1977 | 16.43 % | +2.4% |
| 1978 | 16.82 % | +2.4% |
| 1979 | 17.17 % | +2.1% |
| 1980 | 17.55 % | +2.2% |
| 1981 | 17.66 % | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 17.78 % | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 17.9 % | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 18.03 % | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 18.28 % | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 18.16 % | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 17.99 % | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 17.84 % | -0.8% |
| 1989 | 17.63 % | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 17.43 % | -1.1% |
| 1991 | 17.25 % | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 17.07 % | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 16.89 % | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 16.76 % | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 16.68 % | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 16.8 % | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 16.95 % | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 17.08 % | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 17.19 % | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 17.39 % | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 17.54 % | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 17.57 % | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 18.04 % | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 18.45 % | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 18.9 % | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 19.28 % | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 19.67 % | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 19.72 % | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 19.76 % | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 20.42 % | +3.3% |
| 2011 | 20.79 % | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 21.04 % | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 21.11 % | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 21.45 % | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 21.71 % | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 21.94 % | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 22.23 % | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 22.41 % | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 23.3 % | +4.0% |
| 2020 | 24.29 % | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 25.45 % | +4.8% |
| 2022 | 25.5 % | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 25.38 % | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 25.55 % | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 14.21 % | 13.61 % | 14.92 % | 9 |
| 1970s | 15.81 % | 14.91 % | 17.17 % | 10 |
| 1980s | 17.88 % | 17.55 % | 18.28 % | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.01 % | 16.68 % | 17.43 % | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.63 % | 17.39 % | 19.76 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.64 % | 20.42 % | 23.3 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.23 % | 24.29 % | 25.55 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near South America
- 13 Myanmar 84.75 % compare
- 14 Sweden 84.64 % compare
- 15 Pakistan 84.34 % compare
- 16 Bangladesh 83.81 % compare
- 17 Republic of Korea 83.41 % compare
- 18 Saint Kitts and Nevis 83.33 % compare
- 19 Norway 81.81 % 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)
- Temperature change 1.23 °C (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.218 °C (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Total fibre furnish — Production, annual growth rate 4.24 % change on previous year (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard, not elsewhere specified — Import value -5.13 % change on previous year (2024)
- Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -9.52 Percentage change (2024)
- Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -8.79 Percentage change (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard, not elsewhere specified — Import 6.57 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land — share in agricultural land in South America?
- Arable land — share in agricultural land in South America was 25.55 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest arable land — share in agricultural land recorded in South America?
- The highest recorded value was 25.55 % in 2024.
- What is the lowest arable land — share in agricultural land recorded in South America?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.61 % in 1961.
- How does South America rank for arable land — share in agricultural land?
- South America ranks 16th out of 31 groups with data for 2024.
- Is arable land — share in agricultural land rising or falling in South America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.1%. 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 Arable land — Share in Agricultural land. 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.