Arable land use per person in Zambia
Zambia: Arable land use per person was 0.1834 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.1834 hectares per person
Change on year
down 2.8%
World rank
69th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.7833 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.1834 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Zambia, 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 Zambia stood at 0.1834 hectares per person. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 23.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Zambia peaked at 0.7833 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.1834 hectares per person, in 2023.
Zambia ranks 69th 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 Zambia, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.7833 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.76 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1963 | 0.7432 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1964 | 0.7271 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1965 | 0.7053 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1966 | 0.6973 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1967 | 0.6788 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1968 | 0.6653 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1969 | 0.6514 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1970 | 0.6393 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1971 | 0.651 hectares per person | +1.8% |
| 1972 | 0.6351 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1973 | 0.6192 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1974 | 0.6071 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1975 | 0.5862 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1976 | 0.5644 hectares per person | -3.7% |
| 1977 | 0.5433 hectares per person | -3.7% |
| 1978 | 0.498 hectares per person | -8.3% |
| 1979 | 0.4095 hectares per person | -17.8% |
| 1980 | 0.4019 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1981 | 0.3991 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 0.3956 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 0.3918 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 0.3884 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 0.3852 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 0.3817 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 0.3787 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 0.376 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 0.3809 hectares per person | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 0.3713 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1991 | 0.3452 hectares per person | -7.0% |
| 1992 | 0.3399 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 0.332 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1994 | 0.3323 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 0.3237 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 0.3159 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1997 | 0.3079 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1998 | 0.2999 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1999 | 0.292 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 2000 | 0.2839 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 2001 | 0.2636 hectares per person | -7.1% |
| 2002 | 0.2425 hectares per person | -8.0% |
| 2003 | 0.2617 hectares per person | +7.9% |
| 2004 | 0.2524 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 2005 | 0.2327 hectares per person | -7.8% |
| 2006 | 0.2484 hectares per person | +6.7% |
| 2007 | 0.2347 hectares per person | -5.5% |
| 2008 | 0.2344 hectares per person | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 0.2631 hectares per person | +12.3% |
| 2010 | 0.2435 hectares per person | -7.5% |
| 2011 | 0.2493 hectares per person | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 0.2548 hectares per person | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 0.2403 hectares per person | -5.7% |
| 2014 | 0.2328 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 0.2256 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 0.2187 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 0.2179 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 0.2114 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 2019 | 0.2053 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 0.1994 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 2021 | 0.1938 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 0.1886 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 0.1834 hectares per person | -2.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 0.1834 hectares per person is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.1272 hectares per person, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 0.1834 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)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.7124 hectares per person | 0.6514 hectares per person | 0.7833 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.5753 hectares per person | 0.4095 hectares per person | 0.651 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.3879 hectares per person | 0.376 hectares per person | 0.4019 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.326 hectares per person | 0.292 hectares per person | 0.3713 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2517 hectares per person | 0.2327 hectares per person | 0.2839 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.23 hectares per person | 0.2053 hectares per person | 0.2548 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1913 hectares per person | 0.1834 hectares per person | 0.1994 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 66 Sierra Leone 0.1872 hectares per person compare
- 67 Syria 0.1865 hectares per person compare
- 68 Guinea-Bissau 0.1837 hectares per person compare
- 70 Morocco 0.1823 hectares per person compare
- 71 Kyrgyzstan 0.1812 hectares per person compare
- 72 Greece 0.1788 hectares per person compare
More environment data for Zambia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.03 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.265 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.11 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.74 % 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 3.49 % 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 Zambia?
- Arable land use per person in Zambia was 0.1834 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.7833 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1834 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Zambia rank for arable land use per person?
- Zambia ranks 69th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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.