Arable land use per person in Canada

Canada: Arable land use per person was 0.9526 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
0.9526 hectares per person
Change on year
down 3.2%
World rank
3rd
of 206 countries
All-time high
2 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.9526 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Arable land use per person in Canada, 1961–2023

00.511.52196119922023

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 Canada stood at 0.9526 hectares per person. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.

The figure is down 3.2% on the previous year and down 11.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Canada peaked at 2 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.9526 hectares per person, in 2023.

That places Canada 3rd 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 1.92 hectares per person 1.83 hectares per person 2 hectares per person 9
1970s 1.71 hectares per person 1.65 hectares per person 1.81 hectares per person 10
1980s 1.6 hectares per person 1.52 hectares per person 1.64 hectares per person 10
1990s 1.41 hectares per person 1.35 hectares per person 1.49 hectares per person 10
2000s 1.24 hectares per person 1.13 hectares per person 1.34 hectares per person 10
2010s 1.07 hectares per person 1.03 hectares per person 1.11 hectares per person 10
2020s 0.9858 hectares per person 0.9526 hectares per person 1.01 hectares per person 4

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 1 Kazakhstan 1.46 hectares per person compare
  2. 2 Australia 1.16 hectares per person compare
  3. 4 Argentina 0.8869 hectares per person compare
  4. 5 Ukraine 0.8726 hectares per person compare
  5. 6 Russia 0.8458 hectares per person compare

See the full ranking of 206 places →

More environment data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is arable land use per person in Canada?
Arable land use per person in Canada was 0.9526 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 Canada?
The highest recorded value was 2 hectares per person in 1961.
What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 0.9526 hectares per person in 2023.
How does Canada rank for arable land use per person?
Canada ranks 3rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is down 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Canada 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

Indicator
Arable land use per person
Unit
hectares per person
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
206 places, 11,842 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

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.