How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for land area equipped for irrigation — area, per square kilometre?

Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd out of 2 groups with data for 2023.

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

Over the last ten years it is up 19.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Land area equipped for irrigation — Area, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa

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

Sub-Saharan Africa: Land area equipped for irrigation — Area, per square kilometre was 0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)

0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre

Change on year

up 0.5%

Rank

2nd

of 2 groups

All-time high

0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre

in 2023

All-time low

0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre

in 1961

Years of data

1961–2023

Land area equipped for irrigation — Area, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan 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 Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 19.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, land area equipped for irrigation — area, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre, in 1961.

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 Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year

Annual values for Land area equipped for irrigation — Area, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1961 to 2023.
Year	1000 ha per square kilometre	Change
1961	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	—
1962	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.6%
1963	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.5%
1964	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.8%
1965	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.9%
1966	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.5%
1967	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.3%
1968	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.8%
1969	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.9%
1970	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+3.5%
1971	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.4%
1972	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.8%
1973	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.8%
1974	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.5%
1975	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.5%
1976	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+3.8%
1977	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	+3.9%
1978	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+4.5%
1979	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.9%
1980	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.8%
1981	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.4%
1982	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.9%
1983	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.7%
1984	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+3.1%
1985	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.3%
1986	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+4.5%
1987	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.3%
1988	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.8%
1989	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.6%
1990	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.5%
1991	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.4%
1992	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.2%
1993	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	-0.4%
1994	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.6%
1995	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.9%
1996	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.9%
1997	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+3.6%
1998	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.8%
1999	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.7%
2000	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	-3.7%
2001	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.1%
2002	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.5%
2003	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.0%
2004	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.1%
2005	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.2%
2006	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.0%
2007	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.7%
2008	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.5%
2009	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.9%
2010	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.3%
2011	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.8%
2012	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	-7.8%
2013	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.3%
2014	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.6%
2015	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	+4.2%
2016	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.4%
2017	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.4%
2018	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	+2.0%
2019	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	+4.6%
2020	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.7%
2021	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	+1.8%
2022	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.2%
2023	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	+0.5%

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	9
1970s	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	10
1980s	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	10
1990s	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	10
2000s	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0002 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	10
2010s	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	10
2020s	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre	4

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa

1 Bangladesh 0.067 1000 ha per square kilometre compare
2 Pakistan 0.0259 1000 ha per square kilometre compare
3 India 0.0254 1000 ha per square kilometre compare
4 Palestine, State of 0.0232 1000 ha per square kilometre compare
5 Azerbaijan 0.018 1000 ha per square kilometre compare

See the full ranking of 165 places →

More environment data for Sub-Saharan Africa

Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.36 Percentage change (2025)
Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -7.11 Percentage change (2025)
Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Standard Deviation 0.223 °C (2025)
Temperature change 1.21 °C (2025)
Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 305.43 Mt CO2e (2024)
Aquaculture production 904,662 metric tons (2024)
Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 2.29 Mt CO2e (2024)
Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Transport (Energy) 2.96 Mt CO2e (2024)
Permanent meadows and pastures — Share in Agricultural land 72.81 % (2024)

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is land area equipped for irrigation — area, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa?: Land area equipped for irrigation — area, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa was 0.0003 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 Sub-Saharan Africa?: The highest recorded value was 0.0003 1000 ha per square kilometre in 2023.
What is the lowest land area equipped for irrigation — area, per square kilometre recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?: The lowest recorded value was 0.0001 1000 ha per square kilometre in 1961.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for land area equipped for irrigation — area, per square kilometre?: Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd out of 2 groups with data for 2023.
Is land area equipped for irrigation — area, per square kilometre rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?: Over the last ten years it is up 19.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sub-Saharan 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 Sub-Saharan 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/sub-saharan-africa/

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<a href="https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/land-area-equipped-for-irrigation-area-per-square-kilometre/sub-saharan-africa/">Land area equipped for irrigation — Area, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan 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.