Arable land use per person in Benin
Benin: Arable land use per person was 0.2513 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.2513 hectares per person
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
37th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.3991 hectares per person
in 1972
All-time low
0.2377 hectares per person
in 2015
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Benin, 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
In 2023, arable land use per person in Benin stood at 0.2513 hectares per person.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.5% on the previous year and down 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Benin peaked at 0.3991 hectares per person in 1972 and was at its lowest, 0.2377 hectares per person, in 2015.
Benin ranks 37th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land use per person in Benin, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.3595 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.3609 hectares per person | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 0.3619 hectares per person | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 0.3624 hectares per person | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 0.3626 hectares per person | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.366 hectares per person | +0.9% |
| 1967 | 0.3724 hectares per person | +1.8% |
| 1968 | 0.3749 hectares per person | +0.7% |
| 1969 | 0.3936 hectares per person | +5.0% |
| 1970 | 0.3915 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 0.3988 hectares per person | +1.9% |
| 1972 | 0.3991 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 0.3959 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1974 | 0.3955 hectares per person | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 0.3976 hectares per person | +0.5% |
| 1976 | 0.3964 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 0.3947 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 0.39 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1979 | 0.385 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 0.3821 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 0.3789 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 0.3729 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1983 | 0.3646 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1984 | 0.3563 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1985 | 0.3482 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1986 | 0.3401 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1987 | 0.3321 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1988 | 0.3241 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1989 | 0.3163 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1990 | 0.3058 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1991 | 0.2974 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 0.2901 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1993 | 0.281 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1994 | 0.2788 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 0.2875 hectares per person | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 0.3051 hectares per person | +6.1% |
| 1997 | 0.319 hectares per person | +4.6% |
| 1998 | 0.3314 hectares per person | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 0.3284 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 0.3296 hectares per person | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 0.3291 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 0.3322 hectares per person | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 0.3349 hectares per person | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 0.3248 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 2005 | 0.315 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 0.2876 hectares per person | -8.7% |
| 2007 | 0.2792 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 0.2709 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 0.2629 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 0.2552 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 0.2477 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 0.2501 hectares per person | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 0.2521 hectares per person | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 0.2448 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 0.2377 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 0.2394 hectares per person | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 0.2486 hectares per person | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 0.2758 hectares per person | +10.9% |
| 2019 | 0.278 hectares per person | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 0.2549 hectares per person | -8.3% |
| 2021 | 0.26 hectares per person | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 0.2577 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 0.2513 hectares per person | -2.5% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 0.2513 hectares per person is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.1272 hectares per person, 2.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Benin's 0.2513 hectares per person is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1581 hectares per person, 1.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.3682 hectares per person | 0.3595 hectares per person | 0.3936 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.3944 hectares per person | 0.385 hectares per person | 0.3991 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.3516 hectares per person | 0.3163 hectares per person | 0.3821 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3025 hectares per person | 0.2788 hectares per person | 0.3314 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3066 hectares per person | 0.2629 hectares per person | 0.3349 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2529 hectares per person | 0.2377 hectares per person | 0.278 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.256 hectares per person | 0.2513 hectares per person | 0.26 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More environment data for Benin
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -9.6 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -10.11 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.268 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.29 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.38 % 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 2.92 % 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 Benin?
- Arable land use per person in Benin was 0.2513 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 Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3991 hectares per person in 1972.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2377 hectares per person in 2015.
- How does Benin rank for arable land use per person?
- Benin ranks 37th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Benin 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.