How does South Africa rank for land area equipped for irrigation — area, per square kilometre?

South Africa ranks 63rd out of 162 countries with data for 2023.

Is land area equipped for irrigation — area, per square kilometre rising or falling in South Africa?

Over the last ten years it is up 33.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Land area equipped for irrigation — Area, per square kilometre in South Africa

Name: Land area equipped for irrigation — Area, per square kilometre in South Africa
Creator: Statizoid (derived)
License: Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page

South Africa: Land area equipped for irrigation — Area, per square kilometre was 0.0018 1000 ha per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)

0.0018 1000 ha per square kilometre

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

63rd

of 162 countries

All-time high

0.0018 1000 ha per square kilometre

in 2021

All-time low

0.0007 1000 ha per square kilometre

in 1961

Years of data

1961–2023

Land area equipped for irrigation — Area, per square kilometre in South Africa, 1961–2023

Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in 1000 ha per square kilometre.

Analysis

In 2023, land area equipped for irrigation — area, per square kilometre in South Africa stood at 0.0018 1000 ha per square kilometre. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.

The figure is up 33.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, land area equipped for irrigation — area, per square kilometre in South Africa peaked at 0.0018 1000 ha per square kilometre in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.0007 1000 ha per square kilometre, in 1961.

That places South Africa 63rd out of 162 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.

Land area equipped for irrigation — Area, per square kilometre in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Land area equipped for irrigation — Area, per square kilometre in South Africa, 1961 to 2023.
Year	1000 ha per square kilometre	Change
1961	0.0007 1000 ha per square kilometre	—
1962	0.0007 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.7%
1963	0.0007 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.4%
1964	0.0007 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.4%
1965	0.0007 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.3%
1966	0.0007 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.1%
1967	0.0008 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.2%
1968	0.0008 1000 ha per square kilometre	+3.3%
1969	0.0008 1000 ha per square kilometre	+3.2%
1970	0.0008 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.0%
1971	0.0008 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.7%
1972	0.0008 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.0%
1973	0.0008 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.0%
1974	0.0008 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.0%
1975	0.0008 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.0%
1976	0.0009 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.3%
1977	0.0009 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.9%
1978	0.0009 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.9%
1979	0.0009 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.9%
1980	0.0009 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.5%
1981	0.0009 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.0%
1982	0.0009 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.0%
1983	0.0009 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.0%
1984	0.0009 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.0%
1985	0.0009 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.0%
1986	0.001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+6.4%
1987	0.001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.0%
1988	0.001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.0%
1989	0.001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.0%
1990	0.001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.0%
1991	0.001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.0%
1992	0.001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+3.3%
1993	0.001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.4%
1994	0.001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.0%
1995	0.0011 1000 ha per square kilometre	+6.7%
1996	0.0012 1000 ha per square kilometre	+3.3%
1997	0.0012 1000 ha per square kilometre	+7.0%
1998	0.0012 1000 ha per square kilometre	-0.9%
1999	0.0012 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.9%
2000	0.0012 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.0%
2001	0.0012 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.1%
2002	0.0012 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.4%
2003	0.0012 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.3%
2004	0.0012 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.3%
2005	0.0013 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.3%
2006	0.0013 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.3%
2007	0.0013 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.3%
2008	0.0013 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.3%
2009	0.0013 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.3%
2010	0.0013 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.3%
2011	0.0013 1000 ha per square kilometre	+4.1%
2012	0.0014 1000 ha per square kilometre	+4.3%
2013	0.0014 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.9%
2014	0.0014 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.8%
2015	0.0014 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.8%
2016	0.0014 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.8%
2017	0.0014 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.8%
2018	0.0015 1000 ha per square kilometre	+4.3%
2019	0.0017 1000 ha per square kilometre	+14.9%
2020	0.0018 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.9%
2021	0.0018 1000 ha per square kilometre	+5.3%
2022	0.0018 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.0%
2023	0.0018 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.0%

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	0.0007 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0007 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0008 1000 ha per square kilometre	9
1970s	0.0009 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0008 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0009 1000 ha per square kilometre	10
1980s	0.001 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0009 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.001 1000 ha per square kilometre	10
1990s	0.0011 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.001 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0012 1000 ha per square kilometre	10
2000s	0.0012 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0012 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0013 1000 ha per square kilometre	10
2010s	0.0014 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0013 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0017 1000 ha per square kilometre	10
2020s	0.0018 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0018 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0018 1000 ha per square kilometre	4

Countries ranked near South Africa

60 Peru 0.002 1000 ha per square kilometre compare
61 Austria 0.0019 1000 ha per square kilometre compare
62 Bahrain 0.0019 1000 ha per square kilometre compare
64 Uruguay 0.0018 1000 ha per square kilometre compare
65 Malawi 0.0017 1000 ha per square kilometre compare
66 Cambodia 0.0015 1000 ha per square kilometre compare

See the full ranking of 165 places →

More environment data for South Africa

Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.46 Percentage change (2025)
Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 8.52 Percentage change (2025)
Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Standard Deviation 0.275 °C (2025)
Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
Land area equipped for irrigation — Area, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Value Standard 16.61 % change on previous year (2024)
Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Value Standard 0.0032 million SLC per person (2024)
Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Value US$, annual 17.38 % change on previous year (2024)
Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Value US$, per unit 0 million USD per US$ of GDP (2024)

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is land area equipped for irrigation — area, per square kilometre in South Africa?: Land area equipped for irrigation — area, per square kilometre in South Africa was 0.0018 1000 ha per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest land area equipped for irrigation — area, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?: The highest recorded value was 0.0018 1000 ha per square kilometre in 2021.
What is the lowest land area equipped for irrigation — area, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?: The lowest recorded value was 0.0007 1000 ha per square kilometre in 1961.
How does South Africa rank for land area equipped for irrigation — area, per square kilometre?: South Africa ranks 63rd out of 162 countries with data for 2023.
Is land area equipped for irrigation — area, per square kilometre rising or falling in South Africa?: Over the last ten years it is up 33.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?: The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Land area equipped for irrigation — Area, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Land area equipped for irrigation — Area, per square kilometre in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/land-area-equipped-for-irrigation-area-per-square-kilometre/south-africa/

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<a href="https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/land-area-equipped-for-irrigation-area-per-square-kilometre/south-africa/">Land area equipped for irrigation — Area, per square kilometre in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

How this figure is calculated

Land area equipped for irrigation — Area divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.

Land area equipped for irrigation — Area ÷ Land area (sq. km)

Computed from

Land area equipped for irrigation — Area Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.

About this data

Indicator: Land area equipped for irrigation — Area, per square kilometre
Unit: 1000 ha per square kilometre
Source: Statizoid (derived)
Licence: Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage: 165 places, 8,884 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed: 12 September 2026

Land area equipped for irrigation — Area divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.