Arable land use per person in Maldives
Maldives: Arable land use per person was 0.0076 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.0076 hectares per person
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
194th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.0236 hectares per person
in 1971
All-time low
0.0074 hectares per person
in 2022
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Maldives, 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 Maldives is 0.0076 hectares per person, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 2.2% on the previous year and down 22.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Maldives peaked at 0.0236 hectares per person in 1971 and was at its lowest, 0.0074 hectares per person, in 2022.
That places Maldives 194th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 Maldives, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.0214 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.0209 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1963 | 0.0204 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1964 | 0.0199 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1965 | 0.0192 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1966 | 0.0184 hectares per person | -4.1% |
| 1967 | 0.0178 hectares per person | -3.6% |
| 1968 | 0.0172 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1969 | 0.0167 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1970 | 0.0162 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1971 | 0.0236 hectares per person | +45.5% |
| 1972 | 0.0229 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1973 | 0.0222 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1974 | 0.0216 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1975 | 0.021 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1976 | 0.0203 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1977 | 0.0197 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1978 | 0.0192 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1979 | 0.0187 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1980 | 0.0182 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1981 | 0.0177 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1982 | 0.0172 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1983 | 0.0167 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1984 | 0.0163 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1985 | 0.0158 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1986 | 0.0152 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1987 | 0.0147 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1988 | 0.0142 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1989 | 0.0138 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1990 | 0.0133 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1991 | 0.0129 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1992 | 0.0126 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1993 | 0.0123 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 0.012 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1995 | 0.0117 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 0.0114 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 0.0112 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 0.011 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 0.0108 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 0.0106 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 0.0105 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 0.0103 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 0.0101 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 0.01 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 0.0098 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 0.0096 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 0.0092 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 0.0089 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 2009 | 0.0086 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 0.0108 hectares per person | +25.5% |
| 2011 | 0.0104 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 0.0101 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 0.0097 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 0.0094 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 0.0091 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 0.0088 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 2017 | 0.0085 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 2018 | 0.0082 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 0.008 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 0.0078 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 2021 | 0.0076 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 0.0074 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 0.0076 hectares per person | +2.2% |
Maldives compared with similar countries
- Maldives's 0.0076 hectares per person is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.1102 hectares per person, 7% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Maldives's 0.0076 hectares per person is below the median for South Asia, which is 0.0615 hectares per person, 12% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Arable land use per person in Maldives changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | +45.5% | 0.0162 hectares per person | 0.0236 hectares per person |
| 2010 | +25.5% | 0.0086 hectares per person | 0.0108 hectares per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0191 hectares per person | 0.0167 hectares per person | 0.0214 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.0206 hectares per person | 0.0162 hectares per person | 0.0236 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.016 hectares per person | 0.0138 hectares per person | 0.0182 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0119 hectares per person | 0.0108 hectares per person | 0.0133 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0098 hectares per person | 0.0086 hectares per person | 0.0106 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0093 hectares per person | 0.008 hectares per person | 0.0108 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0076 hectares per person | 0.0074 hectares per person | 0.0078 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Maldives
- 191 United States Virgin Islands 0.0086 hectares per person compare
- 192 Palestine 0.0081 hectares per person compare
- 193 Qatar 0.0079 hectares per person compare
- 195 Guam 0.006 hectares per person compare
- 196 United Arab Emirates 0.0048 hectares per person compare
- 197 Bermuda 0.0046 hectares per person compare
More environment data for Maldives
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.252 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.911 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 4.75 % 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 -100 % change on previous year (1991)
- 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 4.35 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land use per person in Maldives?
- Arable land use per person in Maldives was 0.0076 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 Maldives?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0236 hectares per person in 1971.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Maldives?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0074 hectares per person in 2022.
- How does Maldives rank for arable land use per person?
- Maldives ranks 194th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Maldives?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Maldives 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.