Arable land use per person in South Korea
South Korea: Arable land use per person was 0.0282 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.0282 hectares per person
Change on year
up 10.2%
World rank
162nd
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.0789 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.0255 hectares per person
in 2022
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in South Korea, 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 South Korea stood at 0.0282 hectares per person.
That represents a change of up 10.2% on the previous year and down 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in South Korea peaked at 0.0789 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.0255 hectares per person, in 2022.
South Korea ranks 162nd 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 South Korea, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.0789 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.0754 hectares per person | -4.5% |
| 1963 | 0.0737 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1964 | 0.0747 hectares per person | +1.3% |
| 1965 | 0.0754 hectares per person | +0.8% |
| 1966 | 0.0743 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1967 | 0.0729 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1968 | 0.0705 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1969 | 0.0683 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1970 | 0.0668 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1971 | 0.0649 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1972 | 0.0628 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1973 | 0.0614 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1974 | 0.0598 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1975 | 0.0584 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1976 | 0.0575 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1977 | 0.0568 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1978 | 0.0562 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1979 | 0.0551 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1980 | 0.054 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1981 | 0.053 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1982 | 0.0521 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1983 | 0.0509 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1984 | 0.0499 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1985 | 0.0492 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 0.0486 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1987 | 0.0482 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 0.0475 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1989 | 0.0466 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1990 | 0.0456 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1991 | 0.0445 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1992 | 0.0434 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 0.0424 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1994 | 0.0413 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 0.0395 hectares per person | -4.3% |
| 1996 | 0.0383 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1997 | 0.0375 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 0.0369 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 0.0364 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 0.0365 hectares per person | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 0.0357 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 0.0351 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 0.0346 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 0.0344 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 0.0341 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 0.0334 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 0.0328 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 0.0319 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 0.0312 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 0.0304 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 0.0298 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 0.0303 hectares per person | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 0.0297 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 0.0291 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 0.0287 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 0.0277 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 2017 | 0.0272 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 0.0266 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 0.0263 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 0.0261 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 0.0259 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 0.0255 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 0.0282 hectares per person | +10.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 0.0282 hectares per person is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.0728 hectares per person, 39% of the median. (77 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 0.0282 hectares per person is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0406 hectares per person, 69% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0738 hectares per person | 0.0683 hectares per person | 0.0789 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.06 hectares per person | 0.0551 hectares per person | 0.0668 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.05 hectares per person | 0.0466 hectares per person | 0.054 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0406 hectares per person | 0.0364 hectares per person | 0.0456 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.034 hectares per person | 0.0312 hectares per person | 0.0365 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0286 hectares per person | 0.0263 hectares per person | 0.0304 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0264 hectares per person | 0.0255 hectares per person | 0.0282 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 159 Yemen 0.0294 hectares per person compare
- 160 Solomon Islands 0.0287 hectares per person compare
- 161 Equatorial Guinea 0.0287 hectares per person compare
- 163 Israel 0.0276 hectares per person compare
- 164 Egypt 0.0271 hectares per person compare
- 165 British Virgin Islands 0.0257 hectares per person compare
More environment data for South Korea
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.2791 % 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 -2.27 % 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 -0.2415 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 1.61 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land use per person in South Korea?
- Arable land use per person in South Korea was 0.0282 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0789 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0255 hectares per person in 2022.
- How does South Korea rank for arable land use per person?
- South Korea ranks 162nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea 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.