Arable land use per person in Somalia
Somalia: Arable land use per person was 0.0599 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.0599 hectares per person
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
144th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.3018 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.0599 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Somalia, 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 Somalia is 0.0599 hectares per person, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 29.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Somalia peaked at 0.3018 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.0599 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places Somalia 144th 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 Somalia, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.3018 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.2957 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1963 | 0.2897 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1964 | 0.2838 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1965 | 0.2779 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1966 | 0.2722 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1967 | 0.2666 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1968 | 0.2611 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1969 | 0.2557 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1970 | 0.2504 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1971 | 0.2452 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1972 | 0.2401 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1973 | 0.2351 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1974 | 0.23 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1975 | 0.2255 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1976 | 0.221 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1977 | 0.2161 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1978 | 0.2023 hectares per person | -6.4% |
| 1979 | 0.1797 hectares per person | -11.2% |
| 1980 | 0.1658 hectares per person | -7.7% |
| 1981 | 0.1653 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 0.1656 hectares per person | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 0.1612 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1984 | 0.1562 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1985 | 0.1507 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 1986 | 0.1454 hectares per person | -3.6% |
| 1987 | 0.1408 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1988 | 0.1411 hectares per person | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 0.1435 hectares per person | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 0.1443 hectares per person | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 0.15 hectares per person | +3.9% |
| 1992 | 0.1575 hectares per person | +5.0% |
| 1993 | 0.1533 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 0.1466 hectares per person | -4.4% |
| 1995 | 0.1421 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1996 | 0.1375 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1997 | 0.1333 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1998 | 0.1279 hectares per person | -4.1% |
| 1999 | 0.1228 hectares per person | -4.0% |
| 2000 | 0.118 hectares per person | -3.9% |
| 2001 | 0.1136 hectares per person | -3.7% |
| 2002 | 0.1114 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 0.1093 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 0.1099 hectares per person | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 0.1033 hectares per person | -6.0% |
| 2006 | 0.0957 hectares per person | -7.4% |
| 2007 | 0.0883 hectares per person | -7.7% |
| 2008 | 0.0943 hectares per person | +6.8% |
| 2009 | 0.092 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 0.0897 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 0.081 hectares per person | -9.7% |
| 2012 | 0.0802 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 0.0855 hectares per person | +6.5% |
| 2014 | 0.0825 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 2015 | 0.0797 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 0.0767 hectares per person | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 0.0737 hectares per person | -3.8% |
| 2018 | 0.0712 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 0.0686 hectares per person | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 0.0661 hectares per person | -3.7% |
| 2021 | 0.0637 hectares per person | -3.6% |
| 2022 | 0.0618 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 2023 | 0.0599 hectares per person | -3.0% |
Somalia compared with similar countries
- Somalia's 0.0599 hectares per person is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.1837 hectares per person, 33% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Somalia's 0.0599 hectares per person is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1581 hectares per person, 38% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.2783 hectares per person | 0.2557 hectares per person | 0.3018 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.2245 hectares per person | 0.1797 hectares per person | 0.2504 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1536 hectares per person | 0.1408 hectares per person | 0.1658 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1415 hectares per person | 0.1228 hectares per person | 0.1575 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1036 hectares per person | 0.0883 hectares per person | 0.118 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0789 hectares per person | 0.0686 hectares per person | 0.0897 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0629 hectares per person | 0.0599 hectares per person | 0.0661 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
More environment data for Somalia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -28.64 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -24.06 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.278 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.53 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.5029 % 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 -0.1376 % 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 Somalia?
- Arable land use per person in Somalia was 0.0599 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 Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3018 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0599 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Somalia rank for arable land use per person?
- Somalia ranks 144th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Somalia 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.