Arable land use per person in Nigeria
Nigeria: Arable land use per person was 0.1618 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.1618 hectares per person
Change on year
down 2.1%
World rank
77th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.5148 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.1618 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Nigeria, 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
Nigeria recorded 0.1618 hectares per person for arable land use per person in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and down 18.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Nigeria peaked at 0.5148 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.1618 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places Nigeria 77th 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 Nigeria, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.5148 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.5072 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1963 | 0.4997 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1964 | 0.4921 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1965 | 0.4845 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1966 | 0.4769 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1967 | 0.4697 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1968 | 0.4624 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1969 | 0.455 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1970 | 0.4473 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1971 | 0.4396 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1972 | 0.4317 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1973 | 0.4235 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1974 | 0.4149 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1975 | 0.4059 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1976 | 0.3967 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1977 | 0.3872 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1978 | 0.3776 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1979 | 0.3682 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1980 | 0.3589 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1981 | 0.35 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1982 | 0.3416 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1983 | 0.3346 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1984 | 0.328 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1985 | 0.3205 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1986 | 0.3136 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 0.3067 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1988 | 0.3012 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1989 | 0.295 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1990 | 0.2891 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1991 | 0.2908 hectares per person | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 0.294 hectares per person | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 0.2863 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 0.2872 hectares per person | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 0.2969 hectares per person | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 0.291 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 0.2844 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1998 | 0.2837 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 0.2844 hectares per person | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 0.2769 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 2001 | 0.2745 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 0.2674 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 0.2603 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 0.2535 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 0.2467 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 0.2402 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 0.2339 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 0.2277 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 0.2275 hectares per person | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 0.2157 hectares per person | -5.2% |
| 2011 | 0.2099 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 0.2043 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 0.199 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 0.194 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 0.1893 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 0.1849 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 0.1806 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 0.1777 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 0.176 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 0.1723 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 0.1687 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 0.1652 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 0.1618 hectares per person | -2.1% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 0.1618 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)
- Nigeria's 0.1618 hectares per person is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1581 hectares per person, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.4847 hectares per person | 0.455 hectares per person | 0.5148 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.4093 hectares per person | 0.3682 hectares per person | 0.4473 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.325 hectares per person | 0.295 hectares per person | 0.3589 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2888 hectares per person | 0.2837 hectares per person | 0.2969 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2509 hectares per person | 0.2275 hectares per person | 0.2769 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1931 hectares per person | 0.176 hectares per person | 0.2157 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.167 hectares per person | 0.1618 hectares per person | 0.1723 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More environment data for Nigeria
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -5.73 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.07 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.281 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.15 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.78 % 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 0.4617 % 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 Nigeria?
- Arable land use per person in Nigeria was 0.1618 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 0.5148 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1618 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Nigeria rank for arable land use per person?
- Nigeria ranks 77th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.