Arable land use per person in Ireland
Ireland: Arable land use per person was 0.0827 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.0827 hectares per person
Change on year
down 3.4%
World rank
129th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.2307 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.0827 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Ireland, 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 Ireland is 0.0827 hectares per person, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.4% on the previous year and down 19.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Ireland peaked at 0.2307 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.0827 hectares per person, in 2023.
Ireland ranks 129th 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 Ireland, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.2307 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.2281 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1963 | 0.2156 hectares per person | -5.5% |
| 1964 | 0.2043 hectares per person | -5.3% |
| 1965 | 0.1972 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 1966 | 0.1776 hectares per person | -9.9% |
| 1967 | 0.182 hectares per person | +2.4% |
| 1968 | 0.1816 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1969 | 0.1757 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1970 | 0.18 hectares per person | +2.4% |
| 1971 | 0.179 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 0.1678 hectares per person | -6.2% |
| 1973 | 0.1563 hectares per person | -6.9% |
| 1974 | 0.15 hectares per person | -4.0% |
| 1975 | 0.1434 hectares per person | -4.3% |
| 1976 | 0.1464 hectares per person | +2.1% |
| 1977 | 0.1532 hectares per person | +4.6% |
| 1978 | 0.1524 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 0.1536 hectares per person | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 0.1622 hectares per person | +5.6% |
| 1981 | 0.1538 hectares per person | -5.2% |
| 1982 | 0.1484 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 1983 | 0.1417 hectares per person | -4.5% |
| 1984 | 0.1456 hectares per person | +2.8% |
| 1985 | 0.1426 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1986 | 0.1316 hectares per person | -7.7% |
| 1987 | 0.1237 hectares per person | -6.0% |
| 1988 | 0.1195 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1989 | 0.118 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 0.1123 hectares per person | -4.9% |
| 1991 | 0.1108 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 0.1104 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 0.1129 hectares per person | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 0.1115 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 0.1099 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 0.111 hectares per person | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 0.1156 hectares per person | +4.2% |
| 1998 | 0.1201 hectares per person | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 0.1244 hectares per person | +3.6% |
| 2000 | 0.1283 hectares per person | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 0.1317 hectares per person | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 0.1318 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 0.1329 hectares per person | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 0.1282 hectares per person | -3.6% |
| 2005 | 0.1175 hectares per person | -8.3% |
| 2006 | 0.1093 hectares per person | -7.0% |
| 2007 | 0.1058 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 2008 | 0.1082 hectares per person | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 0.102 hectares per person | -5.7% |
| 2010 | 0.0962 hectares per person | -5.6% |
| 2011 | 0.1002 hectares per person | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 0.1049 hectares per person | +4.7% |
| 2013 | 0.1025 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 0.0999 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 0.0963 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 0.0968 hectares per person | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 0.0955 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 0.0921 hectares per person | -3.6% |
| 2019 | 0.089 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 0.0881 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 0.0853 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 2022 | 0.0856 hectares per person | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 0.0827 hectares per person | -3.4% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 0.0827 hectares per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.0728 hectares per person, 1.1× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 0.0827 hectares per person is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.2161 hectares per person, 38% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.1992 hectares per person | 0.1757 hectares per person | 0.2307 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.1582 hectares per person | 0.1434 hectares per person | 0.18 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1387 hectares per person | 0.118 hectares per person | 0.1622 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1139 hectares per person | 0.1099 hectares per person | 0.1244 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1196 hectares per person | 0.102 hectares per person | 0.1329 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0974 hectares per person | 0.089 hectares per person | 0.1049 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0854 hectares per person | 0.0827 hectares per person | 0.0881 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More environment data for Ireland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.17 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.412 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.89 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.13 % 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 -0.0083 % 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 Ireland?
- Arable land use per person in Ireland was 0.0827 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 0.2307 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0827 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Ireland rank for arable land use per person?
- Ireland ranks 129th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland 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.