Arable land use per person in Japan
Japan: Arable land use per person was 0.0325 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.0325 hectares per person
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
157th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.0602 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.0325 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Japan, 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
Japan recorded 0.0325 hectares per person for arable land use per person in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Japan peaked at 0.0602 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.0325 hectares per person, in 2023.
Japan ranks 157th of 206 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land use per person in Japan, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.0602 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.0592 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1963 | 0.0581 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1964 | 0.0571 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1965 | 0.0559 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1966 | 0.0552 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1967 | 0.0538 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1968 | 0.0527 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1969 | 0.0505 hectares per person | -4.1% |
| 1970 | 0.0503 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 0.0485 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 1972 | 0.0472 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1973 | 0.0461 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1974 | 0.0452 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1975 | 0.0443 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1976 | 0.0436 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1977 | 0.0431 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1978 | 0.0426 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1979 | 0.0421 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1980 | 0.0417 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 0.0413 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1982 | 0.041 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 0.0406 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 0.0403 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 0.04 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 0.0397 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 0.0394 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 0.0392 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 0.0389 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1990 | 0.0386 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 0.0382 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 0.0379 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 0.0375 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 0.0372 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 0.0369 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 0.0366 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 0.0362 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 0.0359 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 0.0356 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 0.0353 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 0.035 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 0.0347 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 0.0344 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 0.0343 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 0.0341 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 0.034 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 0.0338 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 0.0336 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 0.0335 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 0.0334 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 0.0333 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 0.0333 hectares per person | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.0333 hectares per person | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.0332 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 0.0331 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 0.0329 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 0.0328 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 0.0327 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 0.0326 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 0.0325 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 0.0325 hectares per person | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.0325 hectares per person | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.0325 hectares per person | -0.1% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 0.0325 hectares per person is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.0728 hectares per person, 45% of the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Japan's 0.0325 hectares per person is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0406 hectares per person, 80% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0558 hectares per person | 0.0505 hectares per person | 0.0602 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.0453 hectares per person | 0.0421 hectares per person | 0.0503 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0402 hectares per person | 0.0389 hectares per person | 0.0417 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0371 hectares per person | 0.0356 hectares per person | 0.0386 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0343 hectares per person | 0.0335 hectares per person | 0.0353 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.033 hectares per person | 0.0326 hectares per person | 0.0334 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0325 hectares per person | 0.0325 hectares per person | 0.0325 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 154 Antigua and Barbuda 0.0429 hectares per person compare
- 155 Jamaica 0.0423 hectares per person compare
- 156 Costa Rica 0.0327 hectares per person compare
- 158 Papua New Guinea 0.0318 hectares per person compare
- 159 Yemen 0.0294 hectares per person compare
- 160 Solomon Islands 0.0287 hectares per person compare
More environment data for Japan
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.8 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.358 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.86 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -2.8 % 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 -0.4957 % 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 Japan?
- Arable land use per person in Japan was 0.0325 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0602 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0325 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Japan rank for arable land use per person?
- Japan ranks 157th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan 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.