Arable land use per person in Namibia
Namibia: Arable land use per person was 0.27 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.27 hectares per person
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
34th
of 206 countries
All-time high
1.06 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.27 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Namibia, 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 Namibia is 0.27 hectares per person, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.5% on the previous year and down 24.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Namibia peaked at 1.06 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.27 hectares per person, in 2023.
Namibia ranks 34th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land use per person in Namibia, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.06 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 1.04 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1963 | 1.02 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1964 | 1 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1965 | 0.9764 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1966 | 0.9518 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1967 | 0.931 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1968 | 0.9056 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1969 | 0.8803 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1970 | 0.8577 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1971 | 0.8353 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1972 | 0.8105 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1973 | 0.7866 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1974 | 0.7632 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1975 | 0.74 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1976 | 0.7214 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1977 | 0.7024 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1978 | 0.6915 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1979 | 0.6803 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1980 | 0.6674 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1981 | 0.66 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1982 | 0.6483 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1983 | 0.6361 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1984 | 0.6191 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1985 | 0.6017 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1986 | 0.5835 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1987 | 0.5651 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1988 | 0.5456 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 1989 | 0.512 hectares per person | -6.1% |
| 1990 | 0.482 hectares per person | -5.9% |
| 1991 | 0.4662 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1992 | 0.4516 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1993 | 0.4627 hectares per person | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 0.48 hectares per person | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 0.5093 hectares per person | +6.1% |
| 1996 | 0.4957 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1997 | 0.4831 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 0.4709 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 0.4594 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 0.4487 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 0.4394 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 0.4318 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 0.425 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 0.4197 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 0.4139 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 0.4082 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 0.3963 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 0.3908 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 0.3851 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 0.3792 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 0.3727 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 0.3645 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 0.3552 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 0.346 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 0.3369 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 0.328 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 0.3191 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 0.3104 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 0.3018 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 0.2932 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 2021 | 0.2846 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 2022 | 0.2768 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 0.27 hectares per person | -2.5% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 0.27 hectares per person is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.1272 hectares per person, 2.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 0.27 hectares per person is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1581 hectares per person, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.9742 hectares per person | 0.8803 hectares per person | 1.06 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.7589 hectares per person | 0.6803 hectares per person | 0.8577 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6039 hectares per person | 0.512 hectares per person | 0.6674 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.4761 hectares per person | 0.4516 hectares per person | 0.5093 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4159 hectares per person | 0.3851 hectares per person | 0.4487 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3414 hectares per person | 0.3018 hectares per person | 0.3792 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2812 hectares per person | 0.27 hectares per person | 0.2932 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More environment data for Namibia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.99 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.14 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.319 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.979 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.32 % 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 4.07 % 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 Namibia?
- Arable land use per person in Namibia was 0.27 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 Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.06 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.27 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Namibia rank for arable land use per person?
- Namibia ranks 34th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Namibia 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.