Arable land use per person in Australia
Australia: Arable land use per person was 1.16 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.16 hectares per person
Change on year
down 3.3%
World rank
2nd
of 206 countries
All-time high
1.78 hectares per person
in 1968
All-time low
0.9283 hectares per person
in 1992
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Australia, 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
Australia recorded 1.16 hectares per person for arable land use per person in 2023.
That represents a change of down 3.3% on the previous year and down 13.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Australia peaked at 1.78 hectares per person in 1968 and was at its lowest, 0.9283 hectares per person, in 1992.
That places Australia 2nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land use per person in Australia, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.37 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 1.44 hectares per person | +5.3% |
| 1963 | 1.4 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1964 | 1.46 hectares per person | +3.9% |
| 1965 | 1.52 hectares per person | +4.3% |
| 1966 | 1.61 hectares per person | +6.0% |
| 1967 | 1.63 hectares per person | +1.3% |
| 1968 | 1.78 hectares per person | +9.1% |
| 1969 | 1.6 hectares per person | -10.2% |
| 1970 | 1.48 hectares per person | -7.7% |
| 1971 | 1.3 hectares per person | -11.9% |
| 1972 | 1.29 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1973 | 1.12 hectares per person | -13.8% |
| 1974 | 1.08 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 1975 | 0.977 hectares per person | -9.3% |
| 1976 | 1.03 hectares per person | +5.6% |
| 1977 | 1.05 hectares per person | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 1.16 hectares per person | +10.8% |
| 1979 | 1.19 hectares per person | +2.7% |
| 1980 | 1.21 hectares per person | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 1.22 hectares per person | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 1.28 hectares per person | +4.8% |
| 1983 | 1.25 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1984 | 1.4 hectares per person | +11.6% |
| 1985 | 1.33 hectares per person | -4.8% |
| 1986 | 1.29 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1987 | 1.21 hectares per person | -6.6% |
| 1988 | 1.1 hectares per person | -9.0% |
| 1989 | 1.04 hectares per person | -5.0% |
| 1990 | 0.9936 hectares per person | -4.7% |
| 1991 | 0.9956 hectares per person | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 0.9283 hectares per person | -6.8% |
| 1993 | 0.9703 hectares per person | +4.5% |
| 1994 | 1 hectares per person | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 0.9351 hectares per person | -6.7% |
| 1996 | 1.05 hectares per person | +12.6% |
| 1997 | 1.13 hectares per person | +7.7% |
| 1998 | 1.15 hectares per person | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 1.22 hectares per person | +6.5% |
| 2000 | 1.23 hectares per person | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 1.26 hectares per person | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 1.22 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 2003 | 1.18 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 2004 | 1.29 hectares per person | +9.6% |
| 2005 | 1.31 hectares per person | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 1.18 hectares per person | -9.5% |
| 2007 | 1.11 hectares per person | -6.3% |
| 2008 | 1.13 hectares per person | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 1.25 hectares per person | +10.8% |
| 2010 | 1.16 hectares per person | -7.2% |
| 2011 | 1.42 hectares per person | +22.1% |
| 2012 | 1.39 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 1.35 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 1.36 hectares per person | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 1.31 hectares per person | -4.1% |
| 2016 | 1.24 hectares per person | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 1.25 hectares per person | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 1.24 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 1.21 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 1.19 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 1.22 hectares per person | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 1.2 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 1.16 hectares per person | -3.3% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 1.16 hectares per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.0728 hectares per person, 16.0× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Australia's 1.16 hectares per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0406 hectares per person, 28.7× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.54 hectares per person | 1.37 hectares per person | 1.78 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.17 hectares per person | 0.977 hectares per person | 1.48 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.23 hectares per person | 1.04 hectares per person | 1.4 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.04 hectares per person | 0.9283 hectares per person | 1.22 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.22 hectares per person | 1.11 hectares per person | 1.31 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.29 hectares per person | 1.16 hectares per person | 1.42 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.19 hectares per person | 1.16 hectares per person | 1.22 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More environment data for Australia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.75 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.345 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.4 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.6708 % 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 0.0861 % 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 Australia?
- Arable land use per person in Australia was 1.16 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 Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.78 hectares per person in 1968.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9283 hectares per person in 1992.
- How does Australia rank for arable land use per person?
- Australia ranks 2nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia 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.