Arable land use per person in Malta
Malta: Arable land use per person was 0.0132 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.0132 hectares per person
Change on year
down 10.1%
World rank
186th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.0523 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.0132 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Malta, 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 Malta stood at 0.0132 hectares per person. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 10.1% on the previous year and down 37.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Malta peaked at 0.0523 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.0132 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places Malta 186th 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 Malta, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.0523 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.0494 hectares per person | -5.5% |
| 1963 | 0.0465 hectares per person | -5.9% |
| 1964 | 0.0436 hectares per person | -6.3% |
| 1965 | 0.0408 hectares per person | -6.4% |
| 1966 | 0.0412 hectares per person | +1.1% |
| 1967 | 0.0417 hectares per person | +1.2% |
| 1968 | 0.0422 hectares per person | +1.2% |
| 1969 | 0.0427 hectares per person | +1.2% |
| 1970 | 0.043 hectares per person | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 0.0429 hectares per person | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.043 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 0.043 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 0.043 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 0.0394 hectares per person | -8.4% |
| 1976 | 0.0392 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 0.0423 hectares per person | +7.9% |
| 1978 | 0.0419 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1979 | 0.0415 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 0.0379 hectares per person | -8.7% |
| 1981 | 0.0376 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 0.0368 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1983 | 0.0363 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 0.0363 hectares per person | -0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.0357 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1986 | 0.0351 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1987 | 0.0348 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 0.0345 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1989 | 0.0342 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 0.0339 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 0.033 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 0.0326 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 0.0323 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 0.032 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 0.0265 hectares per person | -17.2% |
| 1996 | 0.0263 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 0.0235 hectares per person | -10.7% |
| 1998 | 0.0208 hectares per person | -11.7% |
| 1999 | 0.0206 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 0.0205 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 0.0229 hectares per person | +11.7% |
| 2002 | 0.0227 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 0.0233 hectares per person | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 0.0224 hectares per person | -3.9% |
| 2005 | 0.0203 hectares per person | -9.5% |
| 2006 | 0.0202 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 0.0197 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 0.0195 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 0.0194 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 0.0219 hectares per person | +12.9% |
| 2011 | 0.0218 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 0.0214 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 0.0211 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 0.0207 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 0.0202 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 0.02 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 0.0194 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 0.0187 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 0.018 hectares per person | -4.0% |
| 2020 | 0.0151 hectares per person | -15.9% |
| 2021 | 0.0151 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 0.0147 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 0.0132 hectares per person | -10.1% |
Malta compared with similar countries
- Malta's 0.0132 hectares per person is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.0728 hectares per person, 18% of the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Malta's 0.0132 hectares per person is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.0276 hectares per person, 48% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0445 hectares per person | 0.0408 hectares per person | 0.0523 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.0419 hectares per person | 0.0392 hectares per person | 0.043 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0359 hectares per person | 0.0342 hectares per person | 0.0379 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0282 hectares per person | 0.0206 hectares per person | 0.0339 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0211 hectares per person | 0.0194 hectares per person | 0.0233 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0203 hectares per person | 0.018 hectares per person | 0.0219 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0145 hectares per person | 0.0132 hectares per person | 0.0151 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malta
- 183 Kiribati 0.0151 hectares per person compare
- 184 Saint Lucia 0.0149 hectares per person compare
- 185 Montenegro 0.0145 hectares per person compare
- 187 Marshall Islands 0.0129 hectares per person compare
- 188 Andorra 0.0091 hectares per person compare
- 189 French Polynesia 0.0089 hectares per person compare
More environment data for Malta
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.15 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.15 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.365 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.16 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8269 % 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 % 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 Malta?
- Arable land use per person in Malta was 0.0132 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 Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0523 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0132 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Malta rank for arable land use per person?
- Malta ranks 186th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malta 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.