Arable land use per person in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Arable land use per person was 0.1893 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.1893 hectares per person
Change on year
down 1.7%
World rank
65th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.8303 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.1893 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Afghanistan, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares per person.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 0.1893 hectares per person for arable land use per person in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 1.7% on the previous year and down 23.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Afghanistan peaked at 0.8303 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.1893 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places Afghanistan 65th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land use per person in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.8303 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.8188 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1963 | 0.8069 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1964 | 0.7948 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1965 | 0.7772 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1966 | 0.7632 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1967 | 0.7466 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1968 | 0.7292 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1969 | 0.7134 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1970 | 0.6971 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1971 | 0.6829 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1972 | 0.6673 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1973 | 0.6506 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1974 | 0.6344 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1975 | 0.6192 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1976 | 0.6057 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1977 | 0.5929 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1978 | 0.5811 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1979 | 0.5793 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 0.6006 hectares per person | +3.7% |
| 1981 | 0.6626 hectares per person | +10.3% |
| 1982 | 0.7197 hectares per person | +8.6% |
| 1983 | 0.7245 hectares per person | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 0.7069 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1985 | 0.6922 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1986 | 0.6926 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 0.6946 hectares per person | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 0.6864 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1989 | 0.6662 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1990 | 0.6567 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1991 | 0.6463 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 0.5957 hectares per person | -7.8% |
| 1993 | 0.5236 hectares per person | -12.1% |
| 1994 | 0.474 hectares per person | -9.5% |
| 1995 | 0.4484 hectares per person | -5.4% |
| 1996 | 0.4305 hectares per person | -4.0% |
| 1997 | 0.4165 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1998 | 0.4049 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 0.3848 hectares per person | -5.0% |
| 2000 | 0.3817 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 0.3788 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 0.3592 hectares per person | -5.2% |
| 2003 | 0.3419 hectares per person | -4.8% |
| 2004 | 0.3317 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 2005 | 0.3198 hectares per person | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 0.3066 hectares per person | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 0.3008 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 0.2943 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2009 | 0.2837 hectares per person | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 0.2755 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 0.2655 hectares per person | -3.6% |
| 2012 | 0.2549 hectares per person | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 0.2462 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 0.237 hectares per person | -3.7% |
| 2015 | 0.2295 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 0.2227 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 0.2157 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 2018 | 0.2121 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 0.2057 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 0.2004 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 0.1957 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 0.1925 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 0.1893 hectares per person | -1.7% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 0.1893 hectares per person is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.1837 hectares per person, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 0.1893 hectares per person is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.0276 hectares per person, 6.9× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.7756 hectares per person | 0.7134 hectares per person | 0.8303 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.631 hectares per person | 0.5793 hectares per person | 0.6971 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6846 hectares per person | 0.6006 hectares per person | 0.7245 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.4981 hectares per person | 0.3848 hectares per person | 0.6567 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3298 hectares per person | 0.2837 hectares per person | 0.3817 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2365 hectares per person | 0.2057 hectares per person | 0.2755 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1945 hectares per person | 0.1893 hectares per person | 0.2004 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 62 Tonga 0.1912 hectares per person compare
- 63 South Africa 0.1898 hectares per person compare
- 64 Malawi 0.1895 hectares per person compare
- 66 Sierra Leone 0.1872 hectares per person compare
- 67 Syria 0.1865 hectares per person compare
- 68 Guinea-Bissau 0.1837 hectares per person compare
More environment data for Afghanistan
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -19.95 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -17.12 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.547 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.96 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.85 % 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 0.7636 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land use per person in Afghanistan?
- Arable land use per person in Afghanistan was 0.1893 hectares per person in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest arable land use per person recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 0.8303 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1893 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Afghanistan rank for arable land use per person?
- Afghanistan ranks 65th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Arable land use per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Arable land is defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops, temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. It is measured in hectares per person.