Arable land use per person in Switzerland
Switzerland: Arable land use per person was 0.0446 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.0446 hectares per person
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
152nd
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.0729 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.0446 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Switzerland, 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 Switzerland stood at 0.0446 hectares per person. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and down 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Switzerland peaked at 0.0729 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.0446 hectares per person, in 2023.
Switzerland ranks 152nd of 206 countries on this measure, 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 Switzerland, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.0729 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.0714 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1963 | 0.0681 hectares per person | -4.5% |
| 1964 | 0.0663 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1965 | 0.0645 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1966 | 0.0627 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1967 | 0.0606 hectares per person | -3.3% |
| 1968 | 0.0593 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1969 | 0.0587 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1970 | 0.0576 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1971 | 0.0574 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 0.058 hectares per person | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 0.0575 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1974 | 0.0576 hectares per person | +0.2% |
| 1975 | 0.0582 hectares per person | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 0.0586 hectares per person | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 0.0589 hectares per person | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 0.0597 hectares per person | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 0.0599 hectares per person | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 0.0602 hectares per person | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 0.0605 hectares per person | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 0.0609 hectares per person | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 0.0615 hectares per person | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 0.0625 hectares per person | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 0.0625 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 0.0621 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 0.0609 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1988 | 0.061 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 0.0615 hectares per person | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 0.06 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1991 | 0.0599 hectares per person | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 0.0591 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 0.0591 hectares per person | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.0599 hectares per person | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 0.06 hectares per person | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.0594 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 0.0585 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 0.0581 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 0.0574 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 0.0568 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 0.0565 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 0.056 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 0.0554 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 0.0549 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 0.0545 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 0.0543 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 0.0538 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 0.053 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 0.0523 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 0.0516 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 0.0509 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 0.0504 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 0.0498 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 0.0488 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 0.0481 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 0.0476 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 0.0471 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 0.0468 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 0.0465 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 0.0463 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 0.0454 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 0.0452 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 0.0446 hectares per person | -1.3% |
Switzerland compared with similar countries
- Switzerland's 0.0446 hectares per person is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.0728 hectares per person, 61% of the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Switzerland's 0.0446 hectares per person is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.2161 hectares per person, 21% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0649 hectares per person | 0.0587 hectares per person | 0.0729 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.0583 hectares per person | 0.0574 hectares per person | 0.0599 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0614 hectares per person | 0.0602 hectares per person | 0.0625 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0591 hectares per person | 0.0574 hectares per person | 0.06 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0547 hectares per person | 0.0523 hectares per person | 0.0568 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0488 hectares per person | 0.0465 hectares per person | 0.0516 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0454 hectares per person | 0.0446 hectares per person | 0.0463 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
- 149 Colombia 0.0487 hectares per person compare
- 150 Philippines 0.0487 hectares per person compare
- 151 Bangladesh 0.046 hectares per person compare
- 153 Liechtenstein 0.0434 hectares per person compare
- 154 Antigua and Barbuda 0.0429 hectares per person compare
- 155 Jamaica 0.0423 hectares per person compare
More environment data for Switzerland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -0.2925 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -0.4333 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.458 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.33 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.2741 % 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 0.0914 % 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 Switzerland?
- Arable land use per person in Switzerland was 0.0446 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 Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0729 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0446 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Switzerland rank for arable land use per person?
- Switzerland ranks 152nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Switzerland 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.