Arable land use per person in France
France: Arable land use per person was 0.2472 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.2472 hectares per person
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
38th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.4093 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.2472 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in France, 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 France stood at 0.2472 hectares per person. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 10.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in France peaked at 0.4093 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.2472 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places France 38th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 France, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.4093 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.4036 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1963 | 0.398 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1964 | 0.3862 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1965 | 0.3768 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1966 | 0.367 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1967 | 0.3564 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1968 | 0.3439 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 1969 | 0.3408 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1970 | 0.3349 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1971 | 0.3249 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1972 | 0.3215 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1973 | 0.3202 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 0.3215 hectares per person | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 0.321 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 0.3159 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1977 | 0.3169 hectares per person | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 0.317 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 0.3165 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 0.3161 hectares per person | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 0.3152 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 0.3163 hectares per person | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 0.3149 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 0.3159 hectares per person | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 0.3163 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 0.316 hectares per person | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 0.3172 hectares per person | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 0.3093 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1989 | 0.3056 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 0.3053 hectares per person | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 0.3045 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 0.3033 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 0.3051 hectares per person | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 0.305 hectares per person | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.3052 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 0.3047 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 0.3047 hectares per person | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.3043 hectares per person | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 0.3033 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 0.3013 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 0.299 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 0.2972 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 0.2949 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 0.2929 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 0.2909 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 0.2882 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 0.2856 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 0.2838 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 0.2821 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 0.2814 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 0.2797 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 0.2784 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 0.2774 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 0.2765 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 0.2777 hectares per person | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 0.2751 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 0.2759 hectares per person | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 0.2699 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 0.2663 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 0.2512 hectares per person | -5.6% |
| 2021 | 0.2507 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 0.2492 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 0.2472 hectares per person | -0.8% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 0.2472 hectares per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.0728 hectares per person, 3.4× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- France's 0.2472 hectares per person is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.2161 hectares per person, 1.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.3758 hectares per person | 0.3408 hectares per person | 0.4093 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.321 hectares per person | 0.3159 hectares per person | 0.3349 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.3143 hectares per person | 0.3056 hectares per person | 0.3172 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3045 hectares per person | 0.3033 hectares per person | 0.3053 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2916 hectares per person | 0.2821 hectares per person | 0.3013 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2758 hectares per person | 0.2663 hectares per person | 0.2814 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2496 hectares per person | 0.2472 hectares per person | 0.2512 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near France
More environment data for France
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.44 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.44 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.427 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.31 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -3.23 % 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 -0.1777 % 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 France?
- Arable land use per person in France was 0.2472 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4093 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2472 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does France rank for arable land use per person?
- France ranks 38th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France 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.