Arable land use per person in Malaysia
Malaysia: Arable land use per person was 0.0223 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.0223 hectares per person
Change on year
down 6.1%
World rank
169th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.0943 hectares per person
in 1972
All-time low
0.0223 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Malaysia, 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
Malaysia recorded 0.0223 hectares per person for arable land use per person in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.1% on the previous year and down 16.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Malaysia peaked at 0.0943 hectares per person in 1972 and was at its lowest, 0.0223 hectares per person, in 2023.
Malaysia ranks 169th 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 Malaysia, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.0924 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.0928 hectares per person | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 0.0931 hectares per person | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 0.0919 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1965 | 0.0854 hectares per person | -7.0% |
| 1966 | 0.0837 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1967 | 0.083 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1968 | 0.089 hectares per person | +7.3% |
| 1969 | 0.0874 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1970 | 0.0934 hectares per person | +7.0% |
| 1971 | 0.0928 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 0.0943 hectares per person | +1.6% |
| 1973 | 0.0929 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1974 | 0.0897 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 1975 | 0.092 hectares per person | +2.6% |
| 1976 | 0.0884 hectares per person | -3.9% |
| 1977 | 0.0887 hectares per person | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 0.0872 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1979 | 0.0857 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1980 | 0.0815 hectares per person | -4.9% |
| 1981 | 0.0772 hectares per person | -5.3% |
| 1982 | 0.0719 hectares per person | -6.8% |
| 1983 | 0.0693 hectares per person | -3.6% |
| 1984 | 0.0644 hectares per person | -7.0% |
| 1985 | 0.0621 hectares per person | -3.6% |
| 1986 | 0.0568 hectares per person | -8.6% |
| 1987 | 0.0554 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1988 | 0.0543 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1989 | 0.0524 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1990 | 0.0522 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 0.0511 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1992 | 0.0492 hectares per person | -3.7% |
| 1993 | 0.0474 hectares per person | -3.7% |
| 1994 | 0.0468 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 0.0443 hectares per person | -5.3% |
| 1996 | 0.0428 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 0.0416 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1998 | 0.0399 hectares per person | -4.0% |
| 1999 | 0.0391 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 0.0378 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 2001 | 0.0373 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 0.0401 hectares per person | +7.7% |
| 2003 | 0.0383 hectares per person | -4.5% |
| 2004 | 0.0375 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 0.0367 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 0.0337 hectares per person | -8.3% |
| 2007 | 0.0306 hectares per person | -9.1% |
| 2008 | 0.0316 hectares per person | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 0.03 hectares per person | -4.8% |
| 2010 | 0.0298 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 0.0297 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 0.0293 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 0.0266 hectares per person | -9.1% |
| 2014 | 0.0265 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 0.0264 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 0.026 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 0.0255 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 0.0251 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 0.0247 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 0.0244 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 0.0241 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 0.0238 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 0.0223 hectares per person | -6.1% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 0.0223 hectares per person is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.1102 hectares per person, 20% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 0.0223 hectares per person is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0406 hectares per person, 55% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0887 hectares per person | 0.083 hectares per person | 0.0931 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.0905 hectares per person | 0.0857 hectares per person | 0.0943 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0645 hectares per person | 0.0524 hectares per person | 0.0815 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0454 hectares per person | 0.0391 hectares per person | 0.0522 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0354 hectares per person | 0.03 hectares per person | 0.0401 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.027 hectares per person | 0.0247 hectares per person | 0.0298 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0236 hectares per person | 0.0223 hectares per person | 0.0244 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 166 Grenada 0.0256 hectares per person compare
- 167 Barbados 0.0248 hectares per person compare
- 168 Lebanon 0.0232 hectares per person compare
- 170 American Samoa 0.0217 hectares per person compare
- 171 Turks and Caicos Islands 0.0216 hectares per person compare
- 172 New Caledonia 0.0206 hectares per person compare
More environment data for Malaysia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.65 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.9 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.179 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.25 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 4.33 % 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 0.9114 % 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 Malaysia?
- Arable land use per person in Malaysia was 0.0223 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0943 hectares per person in 1972.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0223 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Malaysia rank for arable land use per person?
- Malaysia ranks 169th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.