Cropland — Share in Agricultural land in Southern Africa

Southern Africa: Cropland — Share in Agricultural land was 8.64 % in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
8.64 %
Change on year
down 0.1%
Rank
31st
of 31 groups
All-time high
9.48 %
in 2000
All-time low
8.07 %
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Cropland — Share in Agricultural land in Southern Africa, 1961–2024

0246810196119922024

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

Analysis

In 2024, cropland — share in agricultural land in Southern Africa stood at 8.64 %.

The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, cropland — share in agricultural land in Southern Africa peaked at 9.48 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 8.07 %, in 1961.

Southern Africa ranks 31st of 31 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Cropland — Share in Agricultural land in Southern Africa, year by year

Annual values for Cropland — Share in Agricultural land in Southern Africa, 1961 to 2024.
Year % Change
1961 8.07 %
1962 8.16 % +1.1%
1963 8.24 % +1.0%
1964 8.34 % +1.2%
1965 8.44 % +1.2%
1966 8.47 % +0.4%
1967 8.5 % +0.4%
1968 8.53 % +0.4%
1969 8.55 % +0.2%
1970 8.57 % +0.2%
1971 8.59 % +0.2%
1972 8.62 % +0.3%
1973 8.64 % +0.2%
1974 8.65 % +0.1%
1975 8.7 % +0.6%
1976 8.7 % +0.0%
1977 8.66 % -0.5%
1978 8.71 % +0.6%
1979 8.72 % +0.1%
1980 8.73 % +0.1%
1981 8.71 % -0.2%
1982 8.71 % +0.0%
1983 8.71 % +0.0%
1984 8.74 % +0.3%
1985 8.74 % +0.0%
1986 8.85 % +1.3%
1987 8.84 % -0.1%
1988 8.88 % +0.5%
1989 8.91 % +0.3%
1990 8.96 % +0.6%
1991 8.99 % +0.3%
1992 9.13 % +1.6%
1993 9.27 % +1.5%
1994 9.29 % +0.2%
1995 9.33 % +0.4%
1996 9.42 % +1.0%
1997 9.44 % +0.2%
1998 9.43 % -0.1%
1999 9.46 % +0.3%
2000 9.48 % +0.2%
2001 9.41 % -0.7%
2002 9.41 % +0.0%
2003 9.34 % -0.7%
2004 9.18 % -1.7%
2005 9.11 % -0.8%
2006 8.76 % -3.8%
2007 8.76 % +0.0%
2008 8.95 % +2.2%
2009 8.9 % -0.6%
2010 8.8 % -1.1%
2011 8.54 % -3.0%
2012 8.49 % -0.6%
2013 8.47 % -0.2%
2014 8.55 % +0.9%
2015 8.44 % -1.3%
2016 8.52 % +0.9%
2017 8.55 % +0.4%
2018 8.56 % +0.1%
2019 8.41 % -1.8%
2020 8.51 % +1.2%
2021 8.59 % +0.9%
2022 8.65 % +0.7%
2023 8.65 % +0.0%
2024 8.64 % -0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 8.37 % 8.07 % 8.55 % 9
1970s 8.66 % 8.57 % 8.72 % 10
1980s 8.78 % 8.71 % 8.91 % 10
1990s 9.27 % 8.96 % 9.46 % 10
2000s 9.13 % 8.76 % 9.48 % 10
2010s 8.53 % 8.41 % 8.8 % 10
2020s 8.61 % 8.51 % 8.65 % 5

Countries ranked near Southern Africa

  1. 28 India 94.27 % compare
  2. 29 Bangladesh 93.62 % compare
  3. 30 Japan 93.23 % compare
  4. 31 Rwanda 93.08 % compare
  5. 32 Dominica 91.84 % compare
  6. 33 Pacific Islands Trust Territory 91.61 % compare
  7. 34 Denmark 91.48 % compare

See the full ranking of 270 places →

More environment data for Southern Africa

All data for Southern Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is cropland — share in agricultural land in Southern Africa?
Cropland — share in agricultural land in Southern Africa was 8.64 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest cropland — share in agricultural land recorded in Southern Africa?
The highest recorded value was 9.48 % in 2000.
What is the lowest cropland — share in agricultural land recorded in Southern Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 8.07 % in 1961.
How does Southern Africa rank for cropland — share in agricultural land?
Southern Africa ranks 31st out of 31 groups with data for 2024.
Is cropland — share in agricultural land rising or falling in Southern Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Southern Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Cropland — Share in Agricultural land. 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).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Cropland — Share in Agricultural land in Southern Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/cropland-share-in-agricultural-land/southern-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/cropland-share-in-agricultural-land/southern-africa/">Cropland — Share in Agricultural land in Southern Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Cropland — Share in Agricultural land
Unit
%
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.