Arable land use per person in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Arable land use per person was 0.1018 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.1018 hectares per person
Change on year
down 4.5%
World rank
107th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.4512 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.1018 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Saudi Arabia, 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 Saudi Arabia is 0.1018 hectares per person, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 4.5% on the previous year and down 19.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Saudi Arabia peaked at 0.4512 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.1018 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places Saudi Arabia 107th 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 Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.4512 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.4426 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1963 | 0.4339 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1964 | 0.4252 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1965 | 0.4166 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1966 | 0.4079 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1967 | 0.3991 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1968 | 0.393 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1969 | 0.3863 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1970 | 0.3818 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1971 | 0.3759 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1972 | 0.3713 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1973 | 0.3653 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1974 | 0.3608 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1975 | 0.3556 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1976 | 0.3494 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1977 | 0.3423 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1978 | 0.3326 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1979 | 0.3226 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1980 | 0.3125 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1981 | 0.3022 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1982 | 0.2916 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 1983 | 0.3033 hectares per person | +4.0% |
| 1984 | 0.3053 hectares per person | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 0.3128 hectares per person | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 0.3129 hectares per person | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.3176 hectares per person | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 0.3167 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 0.3159 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 0.3186 hectares per person | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 0.3207 hectares per person | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 0.3123 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1993 | 0.3006 hectares per person | -3.8% |
| 1994 | 0.2873 hectares per person | -4.4% |
| 1995 | 0.2749 hectares per person | -4.3% |
| 1996 | 0.2635 hectares per person | -4.2% |
| 1997 | 0.2529 hectares per person | -4.0% |
| 1998 | 0.243 hectares per person | -3.9% |
| 1999 | 0.2337 hectares per person | -3.8% |
| 2000 | 0.223 hectares per person | -4.6% |
| 2001 | 0.2111 hectares per person | -5.3% |
| 2002 | 0.2003 hectares per person | -5.1% |
| 2003 | 0.1905 hectares per person | -4.9% |
| 2004 | 0.1815 hectares per person | -4.7% |
| 2005 | 0.1732 hectares per person | -4.6% |
| 2006 | 0.1655 hectares per person | -4.4% |
| 2007 | 0.1583 hectares per person | -4.3% |
| 2008 | 0.1517 hectares per person | -4.2% |
| 2009 | 0.1455 hectares per person | -4.1% |
| 2010 | 0.1466 hectares per person | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 0.1397 hectares per person | -4.7% |
| 2012 | 0.1336 hectares per person | -4.4% |
| 2013 | 0.1262 hectares per person | -5.5% |
| 2014 | 0.1228 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 0.1163 hectares per person | -5.3% |
| 2016 | 0.1117 hectares per person | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 0.1113 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 0.1139 hectares per person | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 0.1141 hectares per person | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.1087 hectares per person | -4.7% |
| 2021 | 0.1114 hectares per person | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 0.1066 hectares per person | -4.3% |
| 2023 | 0.1018 hectares per person | -4.5% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 0.1018 hectares per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.0728 hectares per person, 1.4× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 0.1018 hectares per person is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.0276 hectares per person, 3.7× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.4173 hectares per person | 0.3863 hectares per person | 0.4512 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.3558 hectares per person | 0.3226 hectares per person | 0.3818 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.3091 hectares per person | 0.2916 hectares per person | 0.3176 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2807 hectares per person | 0.2337 hectares per person | 0.3207 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1801 hectares per person | 0.1455 hectares per person | 0.223 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1236 hectares per person | 0.1113 hectares per person | 0.1466 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1071 hectares per person | 0.1018 hectares per person | 0.1114 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 104 India 0.107 hectares per person compare
- 105 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0.1069 hectares per person compare
- 106 Botswana 0.1048 hectares per person compare
- 108 New Zealand 0.1 hectares per person compare
- 109 Burundi 0.0965 hectares per person compare
- 110 Madagascar 0.0962 hectares per person compare
More environment data for Saudi Arabia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -52.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -27.86 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.424 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.58 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.53 % 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 9.62 % 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 Saudi Arabia?
- Arable land use per person in Saudi Arabia was 0.1018 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4512 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1018 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for arable land use per person?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 107th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.