Arable land — Share in Agricultural land in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Arable land — Share in Agricultural land was 45.48 % in 2024. ▲ Rising
Arable land — Share in Agricultural land in Sri Lanka, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, arable land — share in agricultural land in Sri Lanka stood at 45.48 %.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land — share in agricultural land in Sri Lanka peaked at 48.79 % in 2020 and was at its lowest, 33.8 %, in 1962.
Sri Lanka ranks 98th of 248 countries on this measure, 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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 34.53 % | — |
| 1962 | 33.8 % | -2.1% |
| 1963 | 38.45 % | +13.8% |
| 1964 | 37.57 % | -2.3% |
| 1965 | 36.78 % | -2.1% |
| 1966 | 35.92 % | -2.3% |
| 1967 | 35.12 % | -2.2% |
| 1968 | 34.38 % | -2.1% |
| 1969 | 34.54 % | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 34.72 % | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 34.89 % | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 35.05 % | +0.5% |
| 1973 | 35.22 % | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 35.38 % | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 37.72 % | +6.6% |
| 1976 | 38.61 % | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 39.59 % | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 40.49 % | +2.3% |
| 1979 | 37.79 % | -6.7% |
| 1980 | 36.28 % | -4.0% |
| 1981 | 37.48 % | +3.3% |
| 1982 | 37.18 % | -0.8% |
| 1983 | 37.69 % | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 38.04 % | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 37.23 % | -2.1% |
| 1986 | 37.23 % | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 37.55 % | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 37.6 % | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 37.65 % | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 38.02 % | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 38.07 % | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 37.72 % | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 37.72 % | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 38.13 % | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 38.16 % | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 37.86 % | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 37.78 % | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 37.79 % | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 37.77 % | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 38.31 % | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 38.31 % | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 39.07 % | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 39.82 % | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 39.33 % | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 44.13 % | +12.2% |
| 2006 | 43.21 % | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 41.97 % | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 46.2 % | +10.1% |
| 2009 | 45.98 % | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 45.8 % | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 47.62 % | +4.0% |
| 2012 | 47.45 % | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 47.45 % | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 47.45 % | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 47.45 % | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 47.64 % | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 47.83 % | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 48.78 % | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 48.78 % | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 48.79 % | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 48.79 % | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 48.79 % | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 45.63 % | -6.5% |
| 2024 | 45.48 % | -0.3% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 45.48 % is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 30.94 %, 1.5× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 45.48 % is below the median for South Asia, which is 57.14 %, 80% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 35.68 % | 33.8 % | 38.45 % | 9 |
| 1970s | 36.95 % | 34.72 % | 40.49 % | 10 |
| 1980s | 37.39 % | 36.28 % | 38.04 % | 10 |
| 1990s | 37.9 % | 37.72 % | 38.16 % | 10 |
| 2000s | 41.63 % | 38.31 % | 46.2 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 47.62 % | 45.8 % | 48.78 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.5 % | 45.48 % | 48.79 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 95 Burkina Faso 46.19 % compare
- 96 Luxembourg 46.07 % compare
- 97 Caribbean 45.59 % compare
- 99 Cuba 45.44 % compare
- 100 Cook Islands 45 % compare
- 101 Democratic Republic of the Congo 44.99 % compare
More environment data for Sri Lanka
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.24 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 5.49 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.207 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.849 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 5.63 % 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 1.22 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land — share in agricultural land in Sri Lanka?
- Arable land — share in agricultural land in Sri Lanka was 45.48 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest arable land — share in agricultural land recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 48.79 % in 2020.
- What is the lowest arable land — share in agricultural land recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.8 % in 1962.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for arable land — share in agricultural land?
- Sri Lanka ranks 98th out of 248 countries with data for 2024.
- Is arable land — share in agricultural land rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.