Arable land use per person in Ghana
Ghana: Arable land use per person was 0.1394 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.1394 hectares per person
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
90th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.2373 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.1394 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Ghana, 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 Ghana stood at 0.1394 hectares per person. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 12.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Ghana peaked at 0.2373 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.1394 hectares per person, in 2023.
Ghana ranks 90th 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 Ghana, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.2373 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.2317 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1963 | 0.2262 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1964 | 0.2209 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1965 | 0.2157 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1966 | 0.2105 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1967 | 0.2055 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1968 | 0.2006 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1969 | 0.1956 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1970 | 0.1905 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1971 | 0.1853 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1972 | 0.1801 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1973 | 0.175 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1974 | 0.17 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1975 | 0.1749 hectares per person | +2.9% |
| 1976 | 0.1699 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1977 | 0.165 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1978 | 0.1689 hectares per person | +2.4% |
| 1979 | 0.1638 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1980 | 0.1591 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1981 | 0.1547 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1982 | 0.1661 hectares per person | +7.4% |
| 1983 | 0.1612 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1984 | 0.172 hectares per person | +6.7% |
| 1985 | 0.1757 hectares per person | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 0.1719 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 0.175 hectares per person | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 0.1776 hectares per person | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 0.1733 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 0.1754 hectares per person | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 0.1774 hectares per person | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 0.173 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 0.1688 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 0.1648 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1995 | 0.1724 hectares per person | +4.6% |
| 1996 | 0.1797 hectares per person | +4.2% |
| 1997 | 0.1974 hectares per person | +9.9% |
| 1998 | 0.1952 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 0.193 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 0.1907 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 0.1881 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 0.1853 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 0.1826 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 0.1801 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 0.1776 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 0.1751 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 0.1727 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 0.1703 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 0.1681 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 0.1659 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 0.1638 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 0.1617 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 0.1596 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 0.1576 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 0.1557 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 0.1539 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 0.1521 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 0.1506 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 0.1491 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 0.1477 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 0.1448 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 0.1421 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 0.1394 hectares per person | -1.9% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 0.1394 hectares per person is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.1272 hectares per person, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 0.1394 hectares per person is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1581 hectares per person, 88% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.216 hectares per person | 0.1956 hectares per person | 0.2373 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.1743 hectares per person | 0.1638 hectares per person | 0.1905 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1686 hectares per person | 0.1547 hectares per person | 0.1776 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1797 hectares per person | 0.1648 hectares per person | 0.1974 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1791 hectares per person | 0.1681 hectares per person | 0.1907 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.157 hectares per person | 0.1491 hectares per person | 0.1659 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1435 hectares per person | 0.1394 hectares per person | 0.1477 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More environment data for Ghana
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -13.57 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -11.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.26 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.34 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.72 % 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 0.8796 % 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 Ghana?
- Arable land use per person in Ghana was 0.1394 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 0.2373 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1394 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Ghana rank for arable land use per person?
- Ghana ranks 90th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana 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.