Arable land use per person in Kenya
Kenya: Arable land use per person was 0.1198 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.1198 hectares per person
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
97th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.4382 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.1198 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Kenya, 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
Kenya recorded 0.1198 hectares per person for arable land use per person in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 16.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Kenya peaked at 0.4382 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.1198 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places Kenya 97th 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 Kenya, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.4382 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.4217 hectares per person | -3.8% |
| 1963 | 0.4057 hectares per person | -3.8% |
| 1964 | 0.39 hectares per person | -3.9% |
| 1965 | 0.3748 hectares per person | -3.9% |
| 1966 | 0.3602 hectares per person | -3.9% |
| 1967 | 0.3462 hectares per person | -3.9% |
| 1968 | 0.3327 hectares per person | -3.9% |
| 1969 | 0.3199 hectares per person | -3.8% |
| 1970 | 0.3079 hectares per person | -3.8% |
| 1971 | 0.2969 hectares per person | -3.6% |
| 1972 | 0.2867 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1973 | 0.277 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1974 | 0.2678 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1975 | 0.2812 hectares per person | +5.0% |
| 1976 | 0.2723 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1977 | 0.2634 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1978 | 0.2545 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1979 | 0.2458 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1980 | 0.2372 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 1981 | 0.2289 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 1982 | 0.2209 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 1983 | 0.2129 hectares per person | -3.6% |
| 1984 | 0.2012 hectares per person | -5.5% |
| 1985 | 0.2382 hectares per person | +18.4% |
| 1986 | 0.2308 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1987 | 0.2258 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1988 | 0.2286 hectares per person | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 0.2384 hectares per person | +4.3% |
| 1990 | 0.218 hectares per person | -8.6% |
| 1991 | 0.2155 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 0.217 hectares per person | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 0.2015 hectares per person | -7.2% |
| 1994 | 0.2109 hectares per person | +4.7% |
| 1995 | 0.2044 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1996 | 0.1708 hectares per person | -16.4% |
| 1997 | 0.1713 hectares per person | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 0.1619 hectares per person | -5.5% |
| 1999 | 0.1714 hectares per person | +5.8% |
| 2000 | 0.1596 hectares per person | -6.9% |
| 2001 | 0.1622 hectares per person | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 0.156 hectares per person | -3.8% |
| 2003 | 0.1529 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 0.1515 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 0.1471 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 0.1439 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 0.1393 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 2008 | 0.1352 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 0.1361 hectares per person | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 0.1335 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 0.1421 hectares per person | +6.4% |
| 2012 | 0.1456 hectares per person | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 0.1431 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 0.1388 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 0.1351 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 0.1348 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 0.1249 hectares per person | -7.4% |
| 2018 | 0.131 hectares per person | +4.9% |
| 2019 | 0.1295 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 0.127 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 0.1246 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 0.1222 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 0.1198 hectares per person | -2.0% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 0.1198 hectares per person is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.1272 hectares per person, 94% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 0.1198 hectares per person is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1581 hectares per person, 76% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.3766 hectares per person | 0.3199 hectares per person | 0.4382 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.2753 hectares per person | 0.2458 hectares per person | 0.3079 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2263 hectares per person | 0.2012 hectares per person | 0.2384 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1943 hectares per person | 0.1619 hectares per person | 0.218 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1484 hectares per person | 0.1352 hectares per person | 0.1622 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1358 hectares per person | 0.1249 hectares per person | 0.1456 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1234 hectares per person | 0.1198 hectares per person | 0.127 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More environment data for Kenya
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -8.08 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.73 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.27 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.12 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.25 % 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 2.87 % 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 Kenya?
- Arable land use per person in Kenya was 0.1198 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4382 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1198 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Kenya rank for arable land use per person?
- Kenya ranks 97th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya 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.