Arable land use per person in Sweden
Sweden: Arable land use per person was 0.2397 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.2397 hectares per person
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
43rd
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.4719 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.2397 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Sweden, 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
In 2023, arable land use per person in Sweden stood at 0.2397 hectares per person. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Sweden peaked at 0.4719 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.2397 hectares per person, in 2023.
Sweden ranks 43rd of 206 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land use per person in Sweden, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.4719 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.4607 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1963 | 0.433 hectares per person | -6.0% |
| 1964 | 0.4249 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1965 | 0.4087 hectares per person | -3.8% |
| 1966 | 0.3982 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1967 | 0.3935 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1968 | 0.3826 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1969 | 0.3829 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 0.3791 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1971 | 0.3762 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1972 | 0.3727 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 0.3704 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 0.3695 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 0.3664 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1976 | 0.3647 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 0.3624 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 0.362 hectares per person | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 0.3594 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 0.358 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 0.3553 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 0.3539 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 0.3526 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 0.3513 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 0.3494 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 0.347 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 0.3437 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 0.34 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1989 | 0.3355 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1990 | 0.3319 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 0.3234 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1992 | 0.319 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1993 | 0.3185 hectares per person | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 0.3163 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 0.3131 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 0.3177 hectares per person | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 0.3161 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 0.3142 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 0.3098 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 0.293 hectares per person | -5.4% |
| 2001 | 0.3011 hectares per person | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 0.2974 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 0.2949 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 0.2942 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 0.2976 hectares per person | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 0.2913 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 0.2876 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 0.2836 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 0.2826 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 0.2792 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 0.2756 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 0.2725 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 0.2696 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 0.2662 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 0.2628 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 0.2585 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 0.254 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 0.2498 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 0.2471 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 0.2452 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 0.2434 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 0.2411 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 0.2397 hectares per person | -0.6% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 0.2397 hectares per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.0728 hectares per person, 3.3× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 0.2397 hectares per person is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.2161 hectares per person, 1.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.4174 hectares per person | 0.3826 hectares per person | 0.4719 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.3683 hectares per person | 0.3594 hectares per person | 0.3791 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.3487 hectares per person | 0.3355 hectares per person | 0.358 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.318 hectares per person | 0.3098 hectares per person | 0.3319 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2923 hectares per person | 0.2826 hectares per person | 0.3011 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2635 hectares per person | 0.2471 hectares per person | 0.2792 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2424 hectares per person | 0.2397 hectares per person | 0.2452 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More environment data for Sweden
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 1.1 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -2.12 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.852 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.72 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.27 % 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 -0.0922 % 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 Sweden?
- Arable land use per person in Sweden was 0.2397 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4719 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2397 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Sweden rank for arable land use per person?
- Sweden ranks 43rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sweden 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.