Arable land use per person in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Arable land use per person was 0.1408 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.1408 hectares per person
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
88th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.4086 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.1048 hectares per person
in 2008
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Democratic Republic of Congo, 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
The most recent figure for arable land use per person in Democratic Republic of Congo is 0.1408 hectares per person, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 0.4086 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.1048 hectares per person, in 2008.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 88th 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 Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.4086 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.3981 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1963 | 0.3877 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1964 | 0.3763 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1965 | 0.3649 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1966 | 0.3547 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1967 | 0.345 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1968 | 0.3366 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1969 | 0.328 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1970 | 0.3198 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1971 | 0.3126 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1972 | 0.3059 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1973 | 0.2987 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1974 | 0.2922 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1975 | 0.2843 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1976 | 0.279 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1977 | 0.2728 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1978 | 0.2649 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1979 | 0.255 hectares per person | -3.7% |
| 1980 | 0.2478 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1981 | 0.2418 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1982 | 0.2343 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1983 | 0.2273 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1984 | 0.2205 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1985 | 0.2143 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1986 | 0.2083 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1987 | 0.2012 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1988 | 0.1949 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1989 | 0.1888 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1990 | 0.1818 hectares per person | -3.7% |
| 1991 | 0.1761 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1992 | 0.1708 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1993 | 0.1648 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 1994 | 0.1572 hectares per person | -4.6% |
| 1995 | 0.1508 hectares per person | -4.1% |
| 1996 | 0.1479 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 0.1456 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 0.1417 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1999 | 0.137 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 2000 | 0.1327 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 2001 | 0.1285 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 0.1246 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 2003 | 0.1211 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 0.1175 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 0.114 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 0.1105 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 0.1072 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 2008 | 0.1048 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2009 | 0.1194 hectares per person | +13.9% |
| 2010 | 0.1329 hectares per person | +11.3% |
| 2011 | 0.1453 hectares per person | +9.3% |
| 2012 | 0.1567 hectares per person | +7.8% |
| 2013 | 0.1555 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 0.1571 hectares per person | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 0.1538 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 0.1508 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 0.152 hectares per person | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 0.1499 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 0.1472 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 0.1425 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 2021 | 0.1382 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 2022 | 0.1416 hectares per person | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 0.1408 hectares per person | -0.6% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 0.1408 hectares per person is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.1837 hectares per person, 77% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 0.1408 hectares per person is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1581 hectares per person, 89% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.3667 hectares per person | 0.328 hectares per person | 0.4086 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.2885 hectares per person | 0.255 hectares per person | 0.3198 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2179 hectares per person | 0.1888 hectares per person | 0.2478 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1574 hectares per person | 0.137 hectares per person | 0.1818 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.118 hectares per person | 0.1048 hectares per person | 0.1327 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1501 hectares per person | 0.1329 hectares per person | 0.1571 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1408 hectares per person | 0.1382 hectares per person | 0.1425 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More environment data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.26 % 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 5.2 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 0.338 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land use per person in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Arable land use per person in Democratic Republic of Congo was 0.1408 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4086 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1048 hectares per person in 2008.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for arable land use per person?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 88th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.