Arable land use per person in Bhutan
Bhutan: Arable land use per person was 0.1272 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.1272 hectares per person
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
93rd
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.4336 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.1229 hectares per person
in 2019
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Bhutan, 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
Bhutan recorded 0.1272 hectares per person for arable land use per person in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and down 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Bhutan peaked at 0.4336 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.1229 hectares per person, in 2019.
Bhutan ranks 93rd of 206 countries on this measure, 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 Bhutan, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.4336 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.4208 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1963 | 0.4079 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1964 | 0.3953 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1965 | 0.3828 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1966 | 0.3706 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1967 | 0.3586 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1968 | 0.3468 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1969 | 0.3353 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1970 | 0.3565 hectares per person | +6.3% |
| 1971 | 0.3446 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1972 | 0.3331 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1973 | 0.3219 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1974 | 0.3253 hectares per person | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 0.3144 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1976 | 0.317 hectares per person | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 0.3064 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1978 | 0.2961 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1979 | 0.2982 hectares per person | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 0.3 hectares per person | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 0.2903 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1982 | 0.2919 hectares per person | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 0.3037 hectares per person | +4.0% |
| 1984 | 0.2942 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1985 | 0.2852 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1986 | 0.2765 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1987 | 0.2701 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1988 | 0.2531 hectares per person | -6.3% |
| 1989 | 0.2319 hectares per person | -8.4% |
| 1990 | 0.2291 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1991 | 0.2251 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1992 | 0.2337 hectares per person | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 0.2452 hectares per person | +4.9% |
| 1994 | 0.2525 hectares per person | +3.0% |
| 1995 | 0.2664 hectares per person | +5.5% |
| 1996 | 0.2752 hectares per person | +3.3% |
| 1997 | 0.2739 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 0.2687 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 0.2626 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 0.258 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 0.2538 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 0.2498 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 0.2462 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 0.2429 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 0.2523 hectares per person | +3.9% |
| 2006 | 0.2256 hectares per person | -10.6% |
| 2007 | 0.2008 hectares per person | -11.0% |
| 2008 | 0.1457 hectares per person | -27.5% |
| 2009 | 0.1441 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 0.1434 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 0.1413 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 0.1397 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 0.1382 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 0.1367 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 0.1353 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 0.1337 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 0.1253 hectares per person | -6.3% |
| 2018 | 0.1237 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 0.1229 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 0.124 hectares per person | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 0.1251 hectares per person | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 0.1261 hectares per person | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 0.1272 hectares per person | +0.8% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 0.1272 hectares per person is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.1272 hectares per person, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 0.1272 hectares per person is above the median for South Asia, which is 0.0615 hectares per person, 2.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Arable land use per person in Bhutan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | -27.5% | 0.2008 hectares per person | 0.1457 hectares per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.3835 hectares per person | 0.3353 hectares per person | 0.4336 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.3214 hectares per person | 0.2961 hectares per person | 0.3565 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2797 hectares per person | 0.2319 hectares per person | 0.3037 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2532 hectares per person | 0.2251 hectares per person | 0.2752 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2219 hectares per person | 0.1441 hectares per person | 0.258 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.134 hectares per person | 0.1229 hectares per person | 0.1434 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1256 hectares per person | 0.124 hectares per person | 0.1272 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More environment data for Bhutan
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.2782 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 0.5977 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.257 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.08 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.487 % 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 -5.53 % 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 Bhutan?
- Arable land use per person in Bhutan was 0.1272 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 Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4336 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1229 hectares per person in 2019.
- How does Bhutan rank for arable land use per person?
- Bhutan ranks 93rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bhutan 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.