Arable land use per person in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Arable land use per person was 0.1872 hectares per person in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
0.1872 hectares per person
Change on year
down 2.2%
World rank
66th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.3005 hectares per person
in 2006
All-time low
0.1108 hectares per person
in 2000
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Sierra Leone, 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
Sierra Leone recorded 0.1872 hectares per person for arable land use per person in 2023.
That represents a change of down 2.2% on the previous year and down 20.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Sierra Leone peaked at 0.3005 hectares per person in 2006 and was at its lowest, 0.1108 hectares per person, in 2000.
That places Sierra Leone 66th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land use per person in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.1541 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.1537 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 0.1532 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 0.1526 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 1965 | 0.1519 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1966 | 0.1511 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1967 | 0.1503 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1968 | 0.1493 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1969 | 0.1484 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1970 | 0.1475 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1971 | 0.1466 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 0.1457 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 0.1448 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 0.1438 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 0.1429 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 0.142 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 0.141 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 0.1399 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 0.1387 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1980 | 0.1375 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 0.1363 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 0.135 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 0.1336 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 0.1321 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 0.1306 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 0.1287 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 0.1266 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1988 | 0.1235 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1989 | 0.1205 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 0.1158 hectares per person | -3.9% |
| 1991 | 0.1145 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 0.1166 hectares per person | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 0.1169 hectares per person | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 0.1162 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 0.1161 hectares per person | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 0.1155 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 0.1138 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 0.1127 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 0.1121 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 0.1108 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 0.1452 hectares per person | +31.1% |
| 2002 | 0.1831 hectares per person | +26.1% |
| 2003 | 0.2388 hectares per person | +30.5% |
| 2004 | 0.2684 hectares per person | +12.4% |
| 2005 | 0.2676 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 0.3005 hectares per person | +12.3% |
| 2007 | 0.2233 hectares per person | -25.7% |
| 2008 | 0.2328 hectares per person | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 0.2413 hectares per person | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 0.254 hectares per person | +5.3% |
| 2011 | 0.2587 hectares per person | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 0.2246 hectares per person | -13.2% |
| 2013 | 0.2359 hectares per person | +5.0% |
| 2014 | 0.2304 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 0.2251 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 0.2198 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 0.2147 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 0.2097 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 0.2049 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 0.2002 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 0.1957 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 0.1914 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 0.1872 hectares per person | -2.2% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 0.1872 hectares per person is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.1837 hectares per person, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 0.1872 hectares per person is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1581 hectares per person, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Arable land use per person in Sierra Leone changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +31.1% | 0.1108 hectares per person | 0.1452 hectares per person |
| 2003 | +30.5% | 0.1831 hectares per person | 0.2388 hectares per person |
| 2002 | +26.1% | 0.1452 hectares per person | 0.1831 hectares per person |
| 2007 | -25.7% | 0.3005 hectares per person | 0.2233 hectares per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.1516 hectares per person | 0.1484 hectares per person | 0.1541 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.1433 hectares per person | 0.1387 hectares per person | 0.1475 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1304 hectares per person | 0.1205 hectares per person | 0.1375 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.115 hectares per person | 0.1121 hectares per person | 0.1169 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2212 hectares per person | 0.1108 hectares per person | 0.3005 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2278 hectares per person | 0.2049 hectares per person | 0.2587 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1936 hectares per person | 0.1872 hectares per person | 0.2002 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 63 South Africa 0.1898 hectares per person compare
- 64 Malawi 0.1895 hectares per person compare
- 65 Afghanistan 0.1893 hectares per person compare
- 67 Syria 0.1865 hectares per person compare
- 68 Guinea-Bissau 0.1837 hectares per person compare
- 69 Zambia 0.1834 hectares per person compare
More environment data for Sierra Leone
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -5.4 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.39 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.232 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.28 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.72 % 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 1.11 % 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 Sierra Leone?
- Arable land use per person in Sierra Leone was 0.1872 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3005 hectares per person in 2006.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1108 hectares per person in 2000.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for arable land use per person?
- Sierra Leone ranks 66th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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.