Cropland — Share in Land area in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Cropland — Share in Land area was 41.66 % in 2024. ▲ Rising
Cropland — Share in Land area in Sri Lanka, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, cropland — share in land area in Sri Lanka stood at 41.66 %. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cropland — share in land area in Sri Lanka peaked at 41.66 % in 2024 and was at its lowest, 24.27 %, in 1962.
Sri Lanka ranks 27th of 252 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Cropland — Share in Land area in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 24.53 % | — |
| 1962 | 24.27 % | -1.1% |
| 1963 | 29.9 % | +23.2% |
| 1964 | 29.87 % | -0.1% |
| 1965 | 29.92 % | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 29.9 % | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 29.9 % | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 30.01 % | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 30.12 % | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 30.2 % | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 30.3 % | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 30.39 % | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 30.49 % | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 30.59 % | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 30.62 % | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 31.21 % | +1.9% |
| 1977 | 31.8 % | +1.9% |
| 1978 | 32.37 % | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 30.62 % | -5.4% |
| 1980 | 30.46 % | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 30.46 % | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 29.61 % | -2.8% |
| 1983 | 29.8 % | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 29.85 % | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 29.92 % | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 30.09 % | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 30.22 % | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 30.27 % | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 30.31 % | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 30.3 % | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 30.35 % | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 30.16 % | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 29.98 % | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 30.03 % | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 30.07 % | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 30.09 % | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 30.11 % | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 30.12 % | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 30.38 % | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 30.46 % | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 30.47 % | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 30.55 % | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 31.03 % | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 29.48 % | -5.0% |
| 2005 | 32.73 % | +11.0% |
| 2006 | 31.74 % | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 30.97 % | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 34.41 % | +11.1% |
| 2009 | 34.6 % | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 34.76 % | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 36.52 % | +5.1% |
| 2012 | 36.68 % | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 36.68 % | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 36.68 % | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 37.16 % | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 37.32 % | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 37.49 % | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 38.34 % | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 38.33 % | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 38.34 % | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 38.34 % | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 38.34 % | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 41.5 % | +8.2% |
| 2024 | 41.66 % | +0.4% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 41.66 % is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 16.44 %, 2.5× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 41.66 % is above the median for South Asia, which is 29.05 %, 1.4× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 28.71 % | 24.27 % | 30.12 % | 9 |
| 1970s | 30.86 % | 30.2 % | 32.37 % | 10 |
| 1980s | 30.1 % | 29.61 % | 30.46 % | 10 |
| 1990s | 30.16 % | 29.98 % | 30.38 % | 10 |
| 2000s | 31.64 % | 29.48 % | 34.6 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 37 % | 34.76 % | 38.34 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.64 % | 38.34 % | 41.66 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 24 Thailand 42.23 % compare
- 25 El Salvador 42.07 % compare
- 26 Kiribati 41.92 % compare
- 28 Pakistan 40.72 % compare
- 29 Isle of Man 40.48 % compare
- 30 Marshall Islands 40.14 % compare
More environment data for Sri Lanka
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.24 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 5.49 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.207 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.849 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 5.63 % 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 1.22 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cropland — share in land area in Sri Lanka?
- Cropland — share in land area in Sri Lanka was 41.66 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest cropland — share in land area recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 41.66 % in 2024.
- What is the lowest cropland — share in land area recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.27 % in 1962.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for cropland — share in land area?
- Sri Lanka ranks 27th out of 252 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cropland — share in land area rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.