Cropland — Area in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Cropland — Area was 262,866 1000 ha in 2024. ▲ Rising
Cropland — Area in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in 1000 ha.
Analysis
In 2024, cropland — area in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 262,866 1000 ha. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cropland — area in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 262,866 1000 ha in 2024 and was at its lowest, 132,828 1000 ha, in 1961.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 7th of 32 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Cropland — Area in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | 1000 ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 132,828 1000 ha | — |
| 1962 | 134,089 1000 ha | +0.9% |
| 1963 | 136,139 1000 ha | +1.5% |
| 1964 | 137,398 1000 ha | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 138,648 1000 ha | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 139,247 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 139,673 1000 ha | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 141,345 1000 ha | +1.2% |
| 1969 | 142,407 1000 ha | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 142,862 1000 ha | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 144,184 1000 ha | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 145,143 1000 ha | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 145,758 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 145,792 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 147,513 1000 ha | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 148,419 1000 ha | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 149,233 1000 ha | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 150,949 1000 ha | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 151,696 1000 ha | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 152,449 1000 ha | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 152,741 1000 ha | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 153,752 1000 ha | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 154,687 1000 ha | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 155,757 1000 ha | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 159,006 1000 ha | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 160,069 1000 ha | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 160,135 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 161,512 1000 ha | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 162,527 1000 ha | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 164,976 1000 ha | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 167,475 1000 ha | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 170,335 1000 ha | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 172,988 1000 ha | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 174,512 1000 ha | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 179,509 1000 ha | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 181,504 1000 ha | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 182,589 1000 ha | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 184,058 1000 ha | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 187,446 1000 ha | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 188,987 1000 ha | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 190,279 1000 ha | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 191,933 1000 ha | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 196,184 1000 ha | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 199,957 1000 ha | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 202,900 1000 ha | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 204,118 1000 ha | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 207,168 1000 ha | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 210,593 1000 ha | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 213,970 1000 ha | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 221,576 1000 ha | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 223,646 1000 ha | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 229,234 1000 ha | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 232,786 1000 ha | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 236,660 1000 ha | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 241,544 1000 ha | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 243,771 1000 ha | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 248,202 1000 ha | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 252,450 1000 ha | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 252,073 1000 ha | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 254,451 1000 ha | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 257,205 1000 ha | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 260,018 1000 ha | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 261,223 1000 ha | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 262,866 1000 ha | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 137,975 1000 ha | 132,828 1000 ha | 142,407 1000 ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 147,155 1000 ha | 142,862 1000 ha | 151,696 1000 ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 157,264 1000 ha | 152,449 1000 ha | 162,527 1000 ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 176,539 1000 ha | 164,976 1000 ha | 187,446 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 200,609 1000 ha | 188,987 1000 ha | 213,970 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 238,194 1000 ha | 221,576 1000 ha | 252,450 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 259,153 1000 ha | 254,451 1000 ha | 262,866 1000 ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 4 United States 154,734 1000 ha compare
- 5 China 129,388 1000 ha compare
- 6 China, mainland 128,608 1000 ha compare
- 7 Russian Federation 123,660 1000 ha compare
- 7 Russia 123,660 1000 ha compare
- 9 Brazil 63,730 1000 ha compare
- 10 Argentina 48,936 1000 ha compare
More environment data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -7.11 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.36 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.223 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.21 °C (2025)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 305.43 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Aquaculture production 904,662 metric tons (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 2.29 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Transport (Energy) 2.96 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Permanent meadows and pastures — Share in Agricultural land 72.81 % (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cropland — area in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Cropland — area in Sub-Saharan Africa was 262,866 1000 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest cropland — area recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 262,866 1000 ha in 2024.
- What is the lowest cropland — area recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 132,828 1000 ha in 1961.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for cropland — area?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 7th out of 32 groups with data for 2024.
- Is cropland — area rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan 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
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.