Arable land use per person in Iran
Iran: Arable land use per person was 0.1733 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.1733 hectares per person
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
73rd
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.677 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.1733 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Iran, 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 Iran stood at 0.1733 hectares per person. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Iran peaked at 0.677 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.1733 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places Iran 73rd 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.
Arable land use per person in Iran, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.677 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.6572 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1963 | 0.6378 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1964 | 0.6186 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1965 | 0.5999 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1966 | 0.5819 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1967 | 0.5652 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1968 | 0.5503 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1969 | 0.5348 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1970 | 0.5198 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1971 | 0.5189 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 0.5248 hectares per person | +1.1% |
| 1973 | 0.5308 hectares per person | +1.1% |
| 1974 | 0.4991 hectares per person | -6.0% |
| 1975 | 0.4689 hectares per person | -6.1% |
| 1976 | 0.44 hectares per person | -6.2% |
| 1977 | 0.4166 hectares per person | -5.3% |
| 1978 | 0.3823 hectares per person | -8.2% |
| 1979 | 0.3954 hectares per person | +3.4% |
| 1980 | 0.3258 hectares per person | -17.6% |
| 1981 | 0.3227 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1982 | 0.3194 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 0.3128 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1984 | 0.3065 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1985 | 0.3005 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1986 | 0.2945 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1987 | 0.2888 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1988 | 0.2829 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1989 | 0.2716 hectares per person | -4.0% |
| 1990 | 0.2602 hectares per person | -4.2% |
| 1991 | 0.2781 hectares per person | +6.9% |
| 1992 | 0.2773 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 0.2823 hectares per person | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 0.2818 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 0.2795 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 0.2719 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1997 | 0.2593 hectares per person | -4.6% |
| 1998 | 0.261 hectares per person | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 0.2496 hectares per person | -4.3% |
| 2000 | 0.2247 hectares per person | -10.0% |
| 2001 | 0.2351 hectares per person | +4.7% |
| 2002 | 0.2357 hectares per person | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 0.2355 hectares per person | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 0.2329 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 0.2302 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 0.2276 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 0.2261 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 0.2059 hectares per person | -9.0% |
| 2009 | 0.2036 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 0.1988 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 0.1941 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 0.1895 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 0.1826 hectares per person | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 0.1802 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 0.1778 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 0.1752 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 0.178 hectares per person | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 0.1809 hectares per person | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 0.1794 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 0.1785 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 0.1775 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 0.1754 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 0.1733 hectares per person | -1.2% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 0.1733 hectares per person is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.1102 hectares per person, 1.6× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Iran's 0.1733 hectares per person is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.0276 hectares per person, 6.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.6025 hectares per person | 0.5348 hectares per person | 0.677 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.4697 hectares per person | 0.3823 hectares per person | 0.5308 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.3026 hectares per person | 0.2716 hectares per person | 0.3258 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2701 hectares per person | 0.2496 hectares per person | 0.2823 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2257 hectares per person | 0.2036 hectares per person | 0.2357 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1837 hectares per person | 0.1752 hectares per person | 0.1988 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1762 hectares per person | 0.1733 hectares per person | 0.1785 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More environment data for Iran
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -30.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -21.27 Percentage change (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.4 % 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 1.9 % 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)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual -0.0807 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land use per person in Iran?
- Arable land use per person in Iran was 0.1733 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 Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 0.677 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1733 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Iran rank for arable land use per person?
- Iran ranks 73rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran 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.