Arable land use per person in Gambia
Gambia: Arable land use per person was 0.1631 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.1631 hectares per person
Change on year
down 2.3%
World rank
76th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.2959 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.1355 hectares per person
in 1993
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Gambia, 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
Gambia recorded 0.1631 hectares per person for arable land use per person in 2023.
The figure is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 23.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Gambia peaked at 0.2959 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.1355 hectares per person, in 1993.
Gambia ranks 76th 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 Gambia, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.2959 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.2904 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1963 | 0.2849 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1964 | 0.2795 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1965 | 0.2742 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1966 | 0.2689 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1967 | 0.2658 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1968 | 0.2584 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1969 | 0.2552 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1970 | 0.248 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1971 | 0.2466 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 0.2485 hectares per person | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 0.25 hectares per person | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 0.2886 hectares per person | +15.4% |
| 1975 | 0.2703 hectares per person | -6.3% |
| 1976 | 0.2605 hectares per person | -3.6% |
| 1977 | 0.2633 hectares per person | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 0.2653 hectares per person | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 0.2407 hectares per person | -9.3% |
| 1980 | 0.2227 hectares per person | -7.5% |
| 1981 | 0.2449 hectares per person | +10.0% |
| 1982 | 0.2638 hectares per person | +7.7% |
| 1983 | 0.2303 hectares per person | -12.7% |
| 1984 | 0.2047 hectares per person | -11.1% |
| 1985 | 0.1968 hectares per person | -3.9% |
| 1986 | 0.198 hectares per person | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 0.1976 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 0.2051 hectares per person | +3.8% |
| 1989 | 0.179 hectares per person | -12.8% |
| 1990 | 0.1773 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 0.1782 hectares per person | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 0.1414 hectares per person | -20.6% |
| 1993 | 0.1355 hectares per person | -4.2% |
| 1994 | 0.1467 hectares per person | +8.3% |
| 1995 | 0.1463 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 0.146 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 0.1531 hectares per person | +4.9% |
| 1998 | 0.1561 hectares per person | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 0.1589 hectares per person | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 0.1608 hectares per person | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 0.1632 hectares per person | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 0.1654 hectares per person | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 0.1673 hectares per person | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 0.1684 hectares per person | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 0.1698 hectares per person | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 0.1708 hectares per person | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 0.1716 hectares per person | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 0.2046 hectares per person | +19.3% |
| 2009 | 0.2287 hectares per person | +11.8% |
| 2010 | 0.2336 hectares per person | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 0.2268 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 0.2203 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 2013 | 0.2139 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 0.2079 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 0.2023 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 0.197 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 0.1879 hectares per person | -4.7% |
| 2018 | 0.1834 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 0.1791 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 0.1749 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 0.1708 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 0.1669 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 0.1631 hectares per person | -2.3% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 0.1631 hectares per person is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.1837 hectares per person, 89% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 0.1631 hectares per person is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1581 hectares per person, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.2748 hectares per person | 0.2552 hectares per person | 0.2959 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.2582 hectares per person | 0.2407 hectares per person | 0.2886 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2143 hectares per person | 0.179 hectares per person | 0.2638 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.154 hectares per person | 0.1355 hectares per person | 0.1782 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1771 hectares per person | 0.1608 hectares per person | 0.2287 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2052 hectares per person | 0.1791 hectares per person | 0.2336 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1689 hectares per person | 0.1631 hectares per person | 0.1749 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More environment data for Gambia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.15 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.18 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.366 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.36 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.9281 % 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 -1.52 % 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 Gambia?
- Arable land use per person in Gambia was 0.1631 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 Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.2959 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1355 hectares per person in 1993.
- How does Gambia rank for arable land use per person?
- Gambia ranks 76th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Gambia 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.