Arable land use per person in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Arable land use per person was 0.246 hectares per person in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
0.246 hectares per person
Change on year
down 1.7%
World rank
39th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.328 hectares per person
in 2008
All-time low
0.246 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in Zimbabwe, 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 Zimbabwe stood at 0.246 hectares per person. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.7% on the previous year and down 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Zimbabwe peaked at 0.328 hectares per person in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.246 hectares per person, in 2023.
Zimbabwe ranks 39th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land use per person in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.2494 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.2509 hectares per person | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 0.2585 hectares per person | +3.0% |
| 1964 | 0.2581 hectares per person | -0.1% |
| 1965 | 0.2599 hectares per person | +0.7% |
| 1966 | 0.2475 hectares per person | -4.8% |
| 1967 | 0.254 hectares per person | +2.6% |
| 1968 | 0.2499 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1969 | 0.2597 hectares per person | +3.9% |
| 1970 | 0.2639 hectares per person | +1.6% |
| 1971 | 0.2715 hectares per person | +2.9% |
| 1972 | 0.2817 hectares per person | +3.8% |
| 1973 | 0.2829 hectares per person | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 0.2893 hectares per person | +2.2% |
| 1975 | 0.2895 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 0.2879 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 0.2943 hectares per person | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 0.2935 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 0.2953 hectares per person | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 0.2895 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1981 | 0.2883 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 0.288 hectares per person | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 0.2992 hectares per person | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 0.2957 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 0.2919 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 0.2952 hectares per person | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 0.2751 hectares per person | -6.8% |
| 1988 | 0.2762 hectares per person | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 0.2922 hectares per person | +5.8% |
| 1990 | 0.2957 hectares per person | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 0.2936 hectares per person | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 0.2616 hectares per person | -10.9% |
| 1993 | 0.267 hectares per person | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 0.2912 hectares per person | +9.1% |
| 1995 | 0.2863 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 0.2979 hectares per person | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 0.2864 hectares per person | -3.8% |
| 1998 | 0.2791 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 0.2932 hectares per person | +5.0% |
| 2000 | 0.3112 hectares per person | +6.2% |
| 2001 | 0.3007 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 2002 | 0.302 hectares per person | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 0.2984 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 0.3073 hectares per person | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 0.3124 hectares per person | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 0.3245 hectares per person | +3.9% |
| 2007 | 0.3124 hectares per person | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 0.328 hectares per person | +5.0% |
| 2009 | 0.312 hectares per person | -4.9% |
| 2010 | 0.2995 hectares per person | -4.0% |
| 2011 | 0.3089 hectares per person | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 0.2934 hectares per person | -5.0% |
| 2013 | 0.289 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 0.2849 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 0.2809 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 0.2768 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 0.2726 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 0.2684 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 0.2641 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 0.2595 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 0.2549 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 0.2504 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 0.246 hectares per person | -1.7% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 0.246 hectares per person is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.1272 hectares per person, 1.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 0.246 hectares per person is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1581 hectares per person, 1.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.2542 hectares per person | 0.2475 hectares per person | 0.2599 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.285 hectares per person | 0.2639 hectares per person | 0.2953 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2891 hectares per person | 0.2751 hectares per person | 0.2992 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2852 hectares per person | 0.2616 hectares per person | 0.2979 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3109 hectares per person | 0.2984 hectares per person | 0.328 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2839 hectares per person | 0.2641 hectares per person | 0.3089 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2527 hectares per person | 0.246 hectares per person | 0.2595 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More environment data for Zimbabwe
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.93 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 3.29 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.311 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.06 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.19 % 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 1.53 % 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 Zimbabwe?
- Arable land use per person in Zimbabwe was 0.246 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 0.328 hectares per person in 2008.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.246 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for arable land use per person?
- Zimbabwe ranks 39th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.