Arable land use per person in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Arable land use per person was 0.1274 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Arable land use per person in Ethiopia, 1993–2023
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 Ethiopia stood at 0.1274 hectares per person. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.6% on the previous year and down 18.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Ethiopia peaked at 0.1862 hectares per person in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0.1274 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places Ethiopia 92nd 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 31 years of available data.
Arable land use per person in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 0.1862 hectares per person | — |
| 1994 | 0.1786 hectares per person | -4.1% |
| 1995 | 0.1728 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1996 | 0.1669 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1997 | 0.1612 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 0.1561 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1999 | 0.1511 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 2000 | 0.1464 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 2001 | 0.1419 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 0.1375 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 2003 | 0.148 hectares per person | +7.6% |
| 2004 | 0.1625 hectares per person | +9.8% |
| 2005 | 0.1636 hectares per person | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 0.166 hectares per person | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 0.1689 hectares per person | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 0.1591 hectares per person | -5.8% |
| 2009 | 0.1585 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 0.1609 hectares per person | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 0.1631 hectares per person | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 0.1602 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 0.1572 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 0.1542 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 0.1514 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 0.1485 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 0.1456 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 0.1437 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 0.1399 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 0.1362 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 0.1345 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 0.1308 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 0.1274 hectares per person | -2.6% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 0.1274 hectares per person is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.1837 hectares per person, 69% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 0.1274 hectares per person is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1581 hectares per person, 81% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.1676 hectares per person | 0.1511 hectares per person | 0.1862 hectares per person | 7 |
| 2000s | 0.1553 hectares per person | 0.1375 hectares per person | 0.1689 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1525 hectares per person | 0.1399 hectares per person | 0.1631 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1322 hectares per person | 0.1274 hectares per person | 0.1362 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More environment data for Ethiopia
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.272 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.39 °C (2025)
- 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 2.83 % 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 0.1478 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land use per person in Ethiopia?
- Arable land use per person in Ethiopia was 0.1274 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1862 hectares per person in 1993.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1274 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Ethiopia rank for arable land use per person?
- Ethiopia ranks 92nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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 — 31 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.