Arable land use per person in Rwanda
Rwanda: Arable land use per person was 0.0831 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.0831 hectares per person
Change on year
down 8.4%
World rank
128th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.1561 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.0831 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Rwanda, 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 Rwanda is 0.0831 hectares per person, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 8.4% on the previous year and down 26.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Rwanda peaked at 0.1561 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.0831 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places Rwanda 128th 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 Rwanda, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.1561 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.1538 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1963 | 0.1519 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1964 | 0.1499 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1965 | 0.1475 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1966 | 0.1448 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1967 | 0.1419 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1968 | 0.1392 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1969 | 0.1367 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1970 | 0.1311 hectares per person | -4.1% |
| 1971 | 0.1366 hectares per person | +4.2% |
| 1972 | 0.1471 hectares per person | +7.7% |
| 1973 | 0.1404 hectares per person | -4.6% |
| 1974 | 0.1493 hectares per person | +6.3% |
| 1975 | 0.1489 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 0.1475 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 0.1463 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1978 | 0.145 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1979 | 0.1436 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 0.142 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 0.1402 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 0.1383 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1983 | 0.1363 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 0.1343 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 0.1309 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1986 | 0.1277 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1987 | 0.1247 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1988 | 0.1218 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1989 | 0.1183 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1990 | 0.1193 hectares per person | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 0.1169 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1992 | 0.1145 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 0.1065 hectares per person | -7.0% |
| 1994 | 0.1031 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1995 | 0.1234 hectares per person | +19.7% |
| 1996 | 0.1118 hectares per person | -9.4% |
| 1997 | 0.1032 hectares per person | -7.7% |
| 1998 | 0.1015 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 0.1063 hectares per person | +4.8% |
| 2000 | 0.1217 hectares per person | +14.5% |
| 2001 | 0.1327 hectares per person | +9.0% |
| 2002 | 0.1329 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 0.1303 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 0.1271 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 0.1241 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 0.1212 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 0.1183 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 0.1155 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 0.1151 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 0.1148 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 0.1144 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 0.114 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 0.1137 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 0.1132 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 0.1107 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 0.1081 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 0.1056 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 0.0989 hectares per person | -6.4% |
| 2019 | 0.0933 hectares per person | -5.7% |
| 2020 | 0.093 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 0.095 hectares per person | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 0.0907 hectares per person | -4.5% |
| 2023 | 0.0831 hectares per person | -8.4% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 0.0831 hectares per person is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.1837 hectares per person, 45% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 0.0831 hectares per person is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1581 hectares per person, 53% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.1469 hectares per person | 0.1367 hectares per person | 0.1561 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.1436 hectares per person | 0.1311 hectares per person | 0.1493 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1315 hectares per person | 0.1183 hectares per person | 0.142 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1106 hectares per person | 0.1015 hectares per person | 0.1234 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1239 hectares per person | 0.1151 hectares per person | 0.1329 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1087 hectares per person | 0.0933 hectares per person | 0.1148 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0904 hectares per person | 0.0831 hectares per person | 0.095 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More environment data for Rwanda
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -5.64 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.05 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate -31.63 % change on previous year (2013)
- Standard Deviation 0.268 °C (2013)
- Temperature change 1.35 °C (2013)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.0359 % 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 -1.42 % 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 Rwanda?
- Arable land use per person in Rwanda was 0.0831 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 Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1561 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0831 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Rwanda rank for arable land use per person?
- Rwanda ranks 128th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Rwanda 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.