Arable land use per person in Iceland
Iceland: Arable land use per person was 0.3137 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.3137 hectares per person
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
30th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.6703 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.3137 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Iceland, 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 Iceland is 0.3137 hectares per person, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 16.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Iceland peaked at 0.6703 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.3137 hectares per person, in 2023.
Iceland ranks 30th of 206 countries on this measure, 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 Iceland, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.6703 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.658 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1963 | 0.6464 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1964 | 0.635 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1965 | 0.6241 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1966 | 0.6136 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1967 | 0.6038 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1968 | 0.5956 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1969 | 0.5901 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1970 | 0.5919 hectares per person | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 0.592 hectares per person | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.5881 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 0.584 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1974 | 0.5808 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1975 | 0.578 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 0.5769 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 0.5816 hectares per person | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 0.5816 hectares per person | -0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.5803 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 0.583 hectares per person | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 0.5764 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1982 | 0.573 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 0.5655 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 0.5595 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 0.5551 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 0.5551 hectares per person | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.5491 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 0.5406 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1989 | 0.5339 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 0.5337 hectares per person | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.5275 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 0.521 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 0.5119 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 0.5075 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 0.5047 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 0.4983 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 0.4905 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 0.4744 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 0.4651 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 0.4587 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 0.4527 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 0.4487 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 0.4456 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 0.4417 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 0.4347 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 0.4246 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 0.4012 hectares per person | -5.5% |
| 2008 | 0.3938 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 0.3893 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 0.3867 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 0.3831 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 0.3779 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 0.3743 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 0.3702 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 0.3658 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 0.3607 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 0.3524 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 0.343 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 0.3356 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 0.3302 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 0.3248 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 0.3168 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 0.3137 hectares per person | -0.9% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 0.3137 hectares per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.0728 hectares per person, 4.3× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 0.3137 hectares per person is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.2161 hectares per person, 1.5× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.6263 hectares per person | 0.5901 hectares per person | 0.6703 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.5835 hectares per person | 0.5769 hectares per person | 0.592 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.5591 hectares per person | 0.5339 hectares per person | 0.583 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5035 hectares per person | 0.4651 hectares per person | 0.5337 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4291 hectares per person | 0.3893 hectares per person | 0.4587 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.365 hectares per person | 0.3356 hectares per person | 0.3867 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3214 hectares per person | 0.3137 hectares per person | 0.3302 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More environment data for Iceland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.587 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.47 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8549 % 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 -1.93 % 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land use per person in Iceland?
- Arable land use per person in Iceland was 0.3137 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 0.6703 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3137 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Iceland rank for arable land use per person?
- Iceland ranks 30th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland 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.