Arable land — Share in Agricultural land in Southern Africa
Southern Africa: Arable land — Share in Agricultural land was 8.37 % in 2024. ▬ Flat
Arable land — Share in Agricultural land in Southern Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, arable land — share in agricultural land in Southern Africa stood at 8.37 %.
The figure is up 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land — share in agricultural land in Southern Africa peaked at 9.24 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 7.95 %, in 1961.
That places Southern Africa 31st out of 31 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Arable land — Share in Agricultural land in Southern Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 7.95 % | — |
| 1962 | 8.04 % | +1.1% |
| 1963 | 8.12 % | +1.0% |
| 1964 | 8.22 % | +1.2% |
| 1965 | 8.31 % | +1.1% |
| 1966 | 8.33 % | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 8.36 % | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 8.38 % | +0.2% |
| 1969 | 8.39 % | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 8.41 % | +0.2% |
| 1971 | 8.43 % | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 8.45 % | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 8.47 % | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 8.48 % | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 8.52 % | +0.5% |
| 1976 | 8.53 % | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 8.49 % | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 8.52 % | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 8.53 % | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 8.53 % | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 8.51 % | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 8.51 % | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 8.51 % | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 8.55 % | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 8.54 % | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 8.66 % | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 8.65 % | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 8.68 % | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 8.71 % | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 8.76 % | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 8.8 % | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 8.93 % | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 9.07 % | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 9.09 % | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 9.13 % | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 9.2 % | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 9.21 % | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 9.2 % | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 9.22 % | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 9.24 % | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 9.16 % | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 9.15 % | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 9.09 % | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 8.94 % | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 8.86 % | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 8.53 % | -3.7% |
| 2007 | 8.52 % | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 8.7 % | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 8.63 % | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 8.52 % | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 8.28 % | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 8.22 % | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 8.2 % | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 8.28 % | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 8.17 % | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 8.25 % | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 8.28 % | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 8.29 % | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 8.13 % | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 8.24 % | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 8.32 % | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 8.37 % | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 8.37 % | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 8.37 % | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.23 % | 7.95 % | 8.39 % | 9 |
| 1970s | 8.48 % | 8.41 % | 8.53 % | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.58 % | 8.51 % | 8.71 % | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.06 % | 8.76 % | 9.22 % | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.88 % | 8.52 % | 9.24 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.26 % | 8.13 % | 8.52 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.33 % | 8.24 % | 8.37 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near Southern Africa
More environment data for Southern Africa
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 4.17 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 7.61 Percentage change (2025)
- Temperature change 0.892 °C (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.282 °C (2025)
- Wood fuel, coniferous — Production 770,000 m3 (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Export quantity 427,327 m3 (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Import value 35,013 1000 USD (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Import quantity 161,260 m3 (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Production 17.26 million m3 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land — share in agricultural land in Southern Africa?
- Arable land — share in agricultural land in Southern Africa was 8.37 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest arable land — share in agricultural land recorded in Southern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 9.24 % in 2000.
- What is the lowest arable land — share in agricultural land recorded in Southern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.95 % in 1961.
- How does Southern Africa rank for arable land — share in agricultural land?
- Southern Africa ranks 31st out of 31 groups with data for 2024.
- Is arable land — share in agricultural land rising or falling in Southern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. 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 — 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.