Arable land use per person in India
India: Arable land use per person was 0.107 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Arable land use per person in India, 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 India is 0.107 hectares per person, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in India peaked at 0.3489 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.107 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places India 104th 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 63 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.3239 hectares per person | 0.2996 hectares per person | 0.3489 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.2677 hectares per person | 0.2435 hectares per person | 0.2941 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2143 hectares per person | 0.1932 hectares per person | 0.2369 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1711 hectares per person | 0.155 hectares per person | 0.189 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1396 hectares per person | 0.1289 hectares per person | 0.1521 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1187 hectares per person | 0.1119 hectares per person | 0.1263 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1085 hectares per person | 0.107 hectares per person | 0.1101 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
- 101 El Salvador 0.1143 hectares per person compare
- 102 Uzbekistan 0.113 hectares per person compare
- 103 Iraq 0.1102 hectares per person compare
- 105 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0.1069 hectares per person compare
- 106 Botswana 0.1048 hectares per person compare
- 107 Saudi Arabia 0.1018 hectares per person compare
More environment data for India
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 4,371 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 3.01 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 572.27 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 37.74 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 108.11 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 4.39 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 861.61 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 1.01 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 2.4 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 135.23 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land use per person in India?
- Arable land use per person in India was 0.107 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3489 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.107 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does India rank for arable land use per person?
- India ranks 104th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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.