Cropland — Area per capita in South Africa
South Africa: Cropland — Area per capita was 0.19 ha/cap in 2024. ▼ Falling
Cropland — Area per capita in South Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha/cap.
Analysis
In 2024, cropland — area per capita in South Africa stood at 0.19 ha/cap. That is the lowest value across all 64 years on record.
The figure is down 5.0% on the previous year and down 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cropland — area per capita in South Africa peaked at 0.72 ha/cap in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.19 ha/cap, in 2024.
That places South Africa 17th out of 34 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.6478 ha/cap | 0.58 ha/cap | 0.72 ha/cap | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.498 ha/cap | 0.44 ha/cap | 0.56 ha/cap | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.373 ha/cap | 0.33 ha/cap | 0.43 ha/cap | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.312 ha/cap | 0.3 ha/cap | 0.32 ha/cap | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.276 ha/cap | 0.25 ha/cap | 0.3 ha/cap | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.224 ha/cap | 0.21 ha/cap | 0.25 ha/cap | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.198 ha/cap | 0.19 ha/cap | 0.2 ha/cap | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More environment data for South Africa
- Land area equipped for irrigation — Share in Cropland 18.04 % (2024)
- Land area equipped for irrigation — Area 2,240 1000 ha (2024)
- Inland waters — Area 600 1000 ha (2024)
- Permanent meadows and pastures — Share in Land area 69.19 % (2024)
- Permanent meadows and pastures — Share in Agricultural land 87.12 % (2024)
- Permanent meadows and pastures — Area 83,928 1000 ha (2024)
- Permanent crops — Share in Agricultural land 0.43 % (2024)
- Permanent crops — Area 413 1000 ha (2024)
- Arable land — Share in Agricultural land 12.46 % (2024)
- Arable land — Area 12,000 1000 ha (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cropland — area per capita in South Africa?
- Cropland — area per capita in South Africa was 0.19 ha/cap in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest cropland — area per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.72 ha/cap in 1961.
- What is the lowest cropland — area per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.19 ha/cap in 2024.
- How does South Africa rank for cropland — area per capita?
- South Africa ranks 17th out of 34 groups with data for 2024.
- Is cropland — area per capita rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Cropland — Area per capita. 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.