Arable land use per person in Portugal
Portugal: Arable land use per person was 0.0877 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.0877 hectares per person
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
120th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.2854 hectares per person
in 1971
All-time low
0.0877 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Portugal, 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 Portugal is 0.0877 hectares per person, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 19.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Portugal peaked at 0.2854 hectares per person in 1971 and was at its lowest, 0.0877 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places Portugal 120th 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 Portugal, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.2808 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.2783 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1963 | 0.2767 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 0.2761 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 0.2768 hectares per person | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 0.2785 hectares per person | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 0.2798 hectares per person | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 0.2805 hectares per person | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 0.2826 hectares per person | +0.7% |
| 1970 | 0.2847 hectares per person | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 0.2854 hectares per person | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 0.2854 hectares per person | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.2847 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 0.2802 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1975 | 0.2692 hectares per person | -3.9% |
| 1976 | 0.2611 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1977 | 0.2578 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1978 | 0.2545 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1979 | 0.2513 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 0.2481 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1981 | 0.2454 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1982 | 0.2434 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1983 | 0.2418 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 0.2404 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1985 | 0.2392 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 0.2385 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 0.2381 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 0.2378 hectares per person | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 0.2377 hectares per person | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 0.2348 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1991 | 0.2318 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 0.2286 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1993 | 0.2248 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 0.2202 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 0.2147 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1996 | 0.1987 hectares per person | -7.5% |
| 1997 | 0.1862 hectares per person | -6.3% |
| 1998 | 0.177 hectares per person | -4.9% |
| 1999 | 0.1678 hectares per person | -5.2% |
| 2000 | 0.1701 hectares per person | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 0.1572 hectares per person | -7.6% |
| 2002 | 0.157 hectares per person | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 0.1486 hectares per person | -5.4% |
| 2004 | 0.1414 hectares per person | -4.8% |
| 2005 | 0.1243 hectares per person | -12.1% |
| 2006 | 0.118 hectares per person | -5.1% |
| 2007 | 0.1089 hectares per person | -7.7% |
| 2008 | 0.1156 hectares per person | +6.1% |
| 2009 | 0.1136 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 0.1085 hectares per person | -4.5% |
| 2011 | 0.1067 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 0.1069 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 0.1089 hectares per person | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 0.1056 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 0.1033 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 0.0951 hectares per person | -7.9% |
| 2017 | 0.094 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 0.0934 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 0.097 hectares per person | +3.9% |
| 2020 | 0.0945 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 0.0934 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 0.0894 hectares per person | -4.3% |
| 2023 | 0.0877 hectares per person | -1.9% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 0.0877 hectares per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.0728 hectares per person, 1.2× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 0.0877 hectares per person is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.2161 hectares per person, 41% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.2789 hectares per person | 0.2761 hectares per person | 0.2826 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.2714 hectares per person | 0.2513 hectares per person | 0.2854 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2411 hectares per person | 0.2377 hectares per person | 0.2481 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2085 hectares per person | 0.1678 hectares per person | 0.2348 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1355 hectares per person | 0.1089 hectares per person | 0.1701 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1019 hectares per person | 0.0934 hectares per person | 0.1089 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0912 hectares per person | 0.0877 hectares per person | 0.0945 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
- 117 Mauritania 0.0896 hectares per person compare
- 118 Congo 0.089 hectares per person compare
- 119 United Kingdom 0.0882 hectares per person compare
- 121 North Korea 0.0869 hectares per person compare
- 122 Haiti 0.0864 hectares per person compare
- 123 Dominican Republic 0.0861 hectares per person compare
More environment data for Portugal
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -0.6043 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -0.5127 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.44 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.15 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -3.29 % 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 0.1607 % 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 Portugal?
- Arable land use per person in Portugal was 0.0877 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 Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 0.2854 hectares per person in 1971.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0877 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Portugal rank for arable land use per person?
- Portugal ranks 120th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Portugal 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.