Arable land use per person in Laos
Laos: Arable land use per person was 0.1597 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.1597 hectares per person
Change on year
down 1.4%
World rank
78th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.295 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.1597 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Laos, 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 Laos is 0.1597 hectares per person, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 29.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Laos peaked at 0.295 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.1597 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places Laos 78th 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 Laos, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.295 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.2883 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1963 | 0.2818 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1964 | 0.2755 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1965 | 0.2693 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1966 | 0.2674 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1967 | 0.2613 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1968 | 0.2584 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1969 | 0.2532 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1970 | 0.2491 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1971 | 0.245 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1972 | 0.2499 hectares per person | +2.0% |
| 1973 | 0.2508 hectares per person | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 0.2517 hectares per person | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 0.2495 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1976 | 0.248 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 0.2469 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 0.2443 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1979 | 0.2416 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1980 | 0.2369 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1981 | 0.2317 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1982 | 0.2275 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1983 | 0.2217 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1984 | 0.2172 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1985 | 0.2118 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1986 | 0.2061 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1987 | 0.2004 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1988 | 0.1952 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1989 | 0.1897 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1990 | 0.1853 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1991 | 0.1802 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1992 | 0.1752 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1993 | 0.1705 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 0.1709 hectares per person | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 0.168 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 0.1633 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1997 | 0.1658 hectares per person | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 0.1642 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 0.1642 hectares per person | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.1694 hectares per person | +3.2% |
| 2001 | 0.1757 hectares per person | +3.7% |
| 2002 | 0.1809 hectares per person | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 0.186 hectares per person | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 0.1911 hectares per person | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 0.1959 hectares per person | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 0.2012 hectares per person | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 0.2047 hectares per person | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 0.2098 hectares per person | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 0.2179 hectares per person | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 0.221 hectares per person | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 0.2222 hectares per person | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 0.2244 hectares per person | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 0.2266 hectares per person | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 0.2241 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 0.2215 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 0.2187 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 0.2051 hectares per person | -6.2% |
| 2018 | 0.1918 hectares per person | -6.5% |
| 2019 | 0.179 hectares per person | -6.7% |
| 2020 | 0.1666 hectares per person | -6.9% |
| 2021 | 0.1642 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 0.1619 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 0.1597 hectares per person | -1.4% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 0.1597 hectares per person is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.1272 hectares per person, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Laos's 0.1597 hectares per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0406 hectares per person, 3.9× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.2722 hectares per person | 0.2532 hectares per person | 0.295 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.2477 hectares per person | 0.2416 hectares per person | 0.2517 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2138 hectares per person | 0.1897 hectares per person | 0.2369 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1708 hectares per person | 0.1633 hectares per person | 0.1853 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1933 hectares per person | 0.1694 hectares per person | 0.2179 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2135 hectares per person | 0.179 hectares per person | 0.2266 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1631 hectares per person | 0.1597 hectares per person | 0.1666 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More environment data for Laos
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.77 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.23 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 5.19 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land use per person in Laos?
- Arable land use per person in Laos was 0.1597 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 Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 0.295 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1597 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Laos rank for arable land use per person?
- Laos ranks 78th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Laos 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.