Arable land — Share in Agricultural land in United States
United States: Arable land — Share in Agricultural land was 35.95 % in 2024. ▼ Falling
Arable land — Share in Agricultural land in United States, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
United States recorded 35.95 % for arable land — share in agricultural land in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 64 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land — share in agricultural land in United States peaked at 44.08 % in 1978 and was at its lowest, 35.95 %, in 2022.
United States ranks 121st of 248 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Arable land — Share in Agricultural land in United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 40.36 % | — |
| 1962 | 39.89 % | -1.2% |
| 1963 | 40.68 % | +2.0% |
| 1964 | 40.54 % | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 40.61 % | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 40.34 % | -0.7% |
| 1967 | 40.08 % | -0.6% |
| 1968 | 41.53 % | +3.6% |
| 1969 | 43.46 % | +4.6% |
| 1970 | 42.96 % | -1.2% |
| 1971 | 43.05 % | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 43.14 % | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 43.25 % | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 43.35 % | +0.2% |
| 1975 | 43.35 % | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 43.35 % | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 43.35 % | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 44.08 % | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 44.08 % | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 44.08 % | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 44.08 % | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 43.52 % | -1.3% |
| 1983 | 43.52 % | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 43.52 % | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 43.52 % | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 43.52 % | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 43.5 % | -0.0% |
| 1988 | 43.5 % | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 43.49 % | -0.0% |
| 1990 | 43.48 % | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 43.47 % | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 43.24 % | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 43.19 % | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 43.17 % | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 43.27 % | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 42.97 % | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 42.82 % | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 42.64 % | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 42.41 % | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 42.34 % | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 42.29 % | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 41.88 % | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 41.34 % | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 40.8 % | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 40.27 % | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 39.75 % | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 39.19 % | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 38.67 % | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 38.15 % | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 37.64 % | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 37.13 % | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 36.62 % | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 36.67 % | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 36.72 % | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 36.77 % | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 36.8 % | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 36.85 % | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 36.68 % | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 36.5 % | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 36.31 % | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 36.13 % | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 35.95 % | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 35.95 % | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 35.95 % | +0.0% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 35.95 % is below the median for high income countries, which is 46.14 %, 78% of the median. (74 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 40.83 % | 39.89 % | 43.46 % | 9 |
| 1970s | 43.4 % | 42.96 % | 44.08 % | 10 |
| 1980s | 43.62 % | 43.49 % | 44.08 % | 10 |
| 1990s | 43.07 % | 42.41 % | 43.48 % | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.47 % | 38.15 % | 42.34 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.84 % | 36.5 % | 37.64 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.06 % | 35.95 % | 36.31 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 118 Greece 36.58 % compare
- 118 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 36.58 % compare
- 118 United Kingdom 36.58 % compare
- 122 Bosnia and Herzegovina 35.8 % compare
- 123 Puerto Rico 35.74 % compare
- 124 Martinique 35.6 % compare
More environment data for United States
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.64 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -2.16 Percentage change (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.2197 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 1.39 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0.1952 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land — share in agricultural land in United States?
- Arable land — share in agricultural land in United States was 35.95 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest arable land — share in agricultural land recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 44.08 % in 1978.
- What is the lowest arable land — share in agricultural land recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.95 % in 2022.
- How does United States rank for arable land — share in agricultural land?
- United States ranks 121st out of 248 countries with data for 2024.
- Is arable land — share in agricultural land rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States 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.