Cropland — Area in Africa

Africa: Cropland — Area was 312,792 1000 ha in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
312,792 1000 ha
Change on year
up 0.6%
Rank
5th
of 36 groups
All-time high
312,792 1000 ha
in 2024
All-time low
166,545 1000 ha
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Cropland — Area in Africa, 1961–2024

0100.0k200.0k300.0k196119922024

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in 1000 ha.

Analysis

The most recent figure for cropland — area in Africa is 312,792 1000 ha, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.

The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 9.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, cropland — area in Africa peaked at 312,792 1000 ha in 2024 and was at its lowest, 166,545 1000 ha, in 1961.

Africa ranks 5th of 36 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 172,298 1000 ha 166,545 1000 ha 177,666 1000 ha 9
1970s 184,083 1000 ha 178,509 1000 ha 189,134 1000 ha 10
1980s 195,516 1000 ha 189,718 1000 ha 201,872 1000 ha 10
1990s 219,723 1000 ha 204,674 1000 ha 232,520 1000 ha 10
2000s 246,944 1000 ha 233,657 1000 ha 262,162 1000 ha 10
2010s 287,250 1000 ha 269,944 1000 ha 302,587 1000 ha 10
2020s 308,870 1000 ha 303,897 1000 ha 312,792 1000 ha 5

Countries ranked near Africa

  1. 2 USSR 228,920 1000 ha compare
  2. 3 India 168,010 1000 ha compare
  3. 4 China 129,388 1000 ha compare
  4. 5 China, mainland 128,608 1000 ha compare
  5. 6 Russian Federation 123,660 1000 ha compare
  6. 7 Brazil 63,730 1000 ha compare
  7. 8 Argentina 48,936 1000 ha compare

See the full ranking of 270 places →

More environment data for Africa

All data for Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is cropland — area in Africa?
Cropland — area in Africa was 312,792 1000 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest cropland — area recorded in Africa?
The highest recorded value was 312,792 1000 ha in 2024.
What is the lowest cropland — area recorded in Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 166,545 1000 ha in 1961.
How does Africa rank for cropland — area?
Africa ranks 5th out of 36 groups with data for 2024.
Is cropland — area rising or falling in Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Cropland — Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).

About this data

Indicator
Cropland — Area
Unit
1000 ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
270 places, 15,866 data points, 1961–2024
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT Land Use domain contains data on twenty-one land use categories and twenty-three categories of irrigation and agricultural practices. Data are available yearly and by country, regional and global levels. The domain includes Land Use Indicators providing information on the percentage share of agricultural and forest land, and their sub-components, including irrigated areas and areas under organic agriculture, within a country land use matrix. Data are available at country, regional and global level, for the following elements: (in percentage) i) Share in Land area; ii) Share in Agricultural land, iii) Share in Cropland; and iv) Share in Forest land; (in ha/pc) v) Area per capita.