Arable land use per person in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Arable land use per person was 0.0882 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.0882 hectares per person
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
119th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.1362 hectares per person
in 1964
All-time low
0.0882 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in United Kingdom, 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 United Kingdom stood at 0.0882 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 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in United Kingdom peaked at 0.1362 hectares per person in 1964 and was at its lowest, 0.0882 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places United Kingdom 119th 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 United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.1359 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.1359 hectares per person | -0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.1356 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 0.1362 hectares per person | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 0.135 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1966 | 0.134 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 0.133 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1968 | 0.1318 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 0.1292 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1970 | 0.1276 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1971 | 0.1276 hectares per person | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.1271 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 0.1259 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 0.1257 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1975 | 0.1222 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1976 | 0.1226 hectares per person | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 0.1232 hectares per person | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 0.1234 hectares per person | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 0.1214 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1980 | 0.1228 hectares per person | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 0.1226 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 0.1228 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 0.1225 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 0.1227 hectares per person | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 0.1236 hectares per person | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 0.1224 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 0.1221 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 0.121 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1989 | 0.1174 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1990 | 0.1156 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1991 | 0.1144 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 0.1138 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 0.1055 hectares per person | -7.3% |
| 1994 | 0.1022 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1995 | 0.1023 hectares per person | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 0.1048 hectares per person | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 0.1092 hectares per person | +4.2% |
| 1998 | 0.1069 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 0.1008 hectares per person | -5.7% |
| 2000 | 0.0998 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 0.0956 hectares per person | -4.2% |
| 2002 | 0.0975 hectares per person | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 0.0949 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 0.097 hectares per person | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 0.0948 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 0.1002 hectares per person | +5.6% |
| 2007 | 0.0992 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 0.0972 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 0.0971 hectares per person | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.0951 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 0.0958 hectares per person | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 0.0975 hectares per person | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 0.0977 hectares per person | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 0.0965 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 0.0924 hectares per person | -4.3% |
| 2016 | 0.0919 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 0.0922 hectares per person | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 0.0911 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 0.0913 hectares per person | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 0.0896 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 0.0897 hectares per person | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 0.0893 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 0.0882 hectares per person | -1.3% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 0.0882 hectares per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.0728 hectares per person, 1.2× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 0.0882 hectares per person is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.2161 hectares per person, 41% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.1341 hectares per person | 0.1292 hectares per person | 0.1362 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.1247 hectares per person | 0.1214 hectares per person | 0.1276 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.122 hectares per person | 0.1174 hectares per person | 0.1236 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1076 hectares per person | 0.1008 hectares per person | 0.1156 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0973 hectares per person | 0.0948 hectares per person | 0.1002 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0941 hectares per person | 0.0911 hectares per person | 0.0977 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0892 hectares per person | 0.0882 hectares per person | 0.0897 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More environment data for United Kingdom
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -3.13 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -7.25 Percentage change (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -3.47 % 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 -0.8735 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual -1.29 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land use per person in United Kingdom?
- Arable land use per person in United Kingdom was 0.0882 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1362 hectares per person in 1964.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0882 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does United Kingdom rank for arable land use per person?
- United Kingdom ranks 119th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.