Cropland — Share in Land area in Ireland
Ireland: Cropland — Share in Land area was 6.3 % in 2024. ▼ Falling
Cropland — Share in Land area in Ireland, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, cropland — share in land area in Ireland stood at 6.3 %.
The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cropland — share in land area in Ireland peaked at 9.5 % in 1961 and was at its lowest, 5.73 %, in 1991.
That places Ireland 184th out of 252 countries 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.
Cropland — Share in Land area in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 9.5 % | — |
| 1962 | 9.43 % | -0.7% |
| 1963 | 8.97 % | -4.9% |
| 1964 | 8.54 % | -4.8% |
| 1965 | 8.28 % | -3.0% |
| 1966 | 7.49 % | -9.5% |
| 1967 | 7.71 % | +2.9% |
| 1968 | 7.73 % | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 7.52 % | -2.7% |
| 1970 | 7.77 % | +3.3% |
| 1971 | 7.8 % | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 7.43 % | -4.7% |
| 1973 | 7.03 % | -5.4% |
| 1974 | 6.86 % | -2.4% |
| 1975 | 6.67 % | -2.8% |
| 1976 | 6.91 % | +3.6% |
| 1977 | 7.33 % | +6.1% |
| 1978 | 7.39 % | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 7.55 % | +2.2% |
| 1980 | 8.06 % | +6.8% |
| 1981 | 7.74 % | -4.0% |
| 1982 | 7.54 % | -2.6% |
| 1983 | 7.27 % | -3.6% |
| 1984 | 7.51 % | +3.3% |
| 1985 | 7.37 % | -1.9% |
| 1986 | 6.81 % | -7.6% |
| 1987 | 6.4 % | -6.0% |
| 1988 | 6.16 % | -3.8% |
| 1989 | 6.06 % | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 5.77 % | -4.8% |
| 1991 | 5.73 % | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 5.75 % | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 5.91 % | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 5.85 % | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 5.8 % | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 5.9 % | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 6.21 % | +5.3% |
| 1998 | 6.52 % | +5.0% |
| 1999 | 6.82 % | +4.6% |
| 2000 | 7.11 % | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 7.44 % | +4.6% |
| 2002 | 7.57 % | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 7.74 % | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 7.6 % | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 7.14 % | -6.1% |
| 2006 | 6.82 % | -4.5% |
| 2007 | 6.8 % | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 7.09 % | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 6.76 % | -4.7% |
| 2010 | 6.4 % | -5.3% |
| 2011 | 6.68 % | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 7.02 % | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 6.9 % | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 6.77 % | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 6.59 % | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 6.71 % | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 6.71 % | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6.56 % | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 6.45 % | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 6.46 % | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 6.34 % | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 6.49 % | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 6.4 % | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 6.3 % | -1.6% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 6.3 % is below the median for high income countries, which is 11.11 %, 57% of the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 6.3 % is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 20.45 %, 31% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.35 % | 7.49 % | 9.5 % | 9 |
| 1970s | 7.27 % | 6.67 % | 7.8 % | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.09 % | 6.06 % | 8.06 % | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.03 % | 5.73 % | 6.82 % | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.21 % | 6.76 % | 7.74 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.68 % | 6.4 % | 7.02 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.4 % | 6.3 % | 6.49 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 181 Kyrgyzstan 7.11 % compare
- 182 Lao People's Democratic Republic 6.92 % compare
- 182 Laos 6.92 % compare
- 185 Madagascar 6.26 % compare
- 186 Sweden 6.19 % compare
- 187 Belize 5.96 % compare
More environment data for Ireland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.17 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.412 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.89 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.13 % 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 -0.0083 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cropland — share in land area in Ireland?
- Cropland — share in land area in Ireland was 6.3 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest cropland — share in land area recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 9.5 % in 1961.
- What is the lowest cropland — share in land area recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.73 % in 1991.
- How does Ireland rank for cropland — share in land area?
- Ireland ranks 184th out of 252 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cropland — share in land area rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Cropland — Share in Land 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.