Land area equipped for irrigation — Area in World

World: Land area equipped for irrigation — Area was 354,701 1000 ha in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
354,701 1000 ha
Change on year
up 0.2%
Rank
1st
of 32 groups
All-time high
354,972 1000 ha
in 2021
All-time low
161,148 1000 ha
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Land area equipped for irrigation — Area in World, 1961–2024

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k196119922024

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in 1000 ha.

Analysis

World recorded 354,701 1000 ha for land area equipped for irrigation — area in 2024.

That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 5.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, land area equipped for irrigation — area in World peaked at 354,972 1000 ha in 2021 and was at its lowest, 161,148 1000 ha, in 1961.

That places World 1st out of 32 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.

Land area equipped for irrigation — Area in World, year by year

Annual values for Land area equipped for irrigation — Area in World, 1961 to 2024.
Year 1000 ha Change
1961 161,148 1000 ha —
1962 163,682 1000 ha +1.6%
1963 165,638 1000 ha +1.2%
1964 167,747 1000 ha +1.3%
1965 169,704 1000 ha +1.2%
1966 172,668 1000 ha +1.7%
1967 175,206 1000 ha +1.5%
1968 178,775 1000 ha +2.0%
1969 181,454 1000 ha +1.5%
1970 184,302 1000 ha +1.6%
1971 187,754 1000 ha +1.9%
1972 191,365 1000 ha +1.9%
1973 196,133 1000 ha +2.5%
1974 199,106 1000 ha +1.5%
1975 202,512 1000 ha +1.7%
1976 206,635 1000 ha +2.0%
1977 210,096 1000 ha +1.7%
1978 214,416 1000 ha +2.1%
1979 217,754 1000 ha +1.6%
1980 221,210 1000 ha +1.6%
1981 226,730 1000 ha +2.5%
1982 231,027 1000 ha +1.9%
1983 234,265 1000 ha +1.4%
1984 237,730 1000 ha +1.5%
1985 241,488 1000 ha +1.6%
1986 245,210 1000 ha +1.5%
1987 248,218 1000 ha +1.2%
1988 251,076 1000 ha +1.2%
1989 254,261 1000 ha +1.3%
1990 258,045 1000 ha +1.5%
1991 260,752 1000 ha +1.0%
1992 263,894 1000 ha +1.2%
1993 266,201 1000 ha +0.9%
1994 269,157 1000 ha +1.1%
1995 272,746 1000 ha +1.3%
1996 276,986 1000 ha +1.6%
1997 279,837 1000 ha +1.0%
1998 282,752 1000 ha +1.0%
1999 285,628 1000 ha +1.0%
2000 289,076 1000 ha +1.2%
2001 293,940 1000 ha +1.7%
2002 299,309 1000 ha +1.8%
2003 302,035 1000 ha +0.9%
2004 302,155 1000 ha +0.0%
2005 301,658 1000 ha -0.2%
2006 301,023 1000 ha -0.2%
2007 314,821 1000 ha +4.6%
2008 316,747 1000 ha +0.6%
2009 319,641 1000 ha +0.9%
2010 323,202 1000 ha +1.1%
2011 325,943 1000 ha +0.8%
2012 329,528 1000 ha +1.1%
2013 332,811 1000 ha +1.0%
2014 335,063 1000 ha +0.7%
2015 337,505 1000 ha +0.7%
2016 339,117 1000 ha +0.5%
2017 341,817 1000 ha +0.8%
2018 343,817 1000 ha +0.6%
2019 348,818 1000 ha +1.5%
2020 353,243 1000 ha +1.3%
2021 354,972 1000 ha +0.5%
2022 354,109 1000 ha -0.2%
2023 354,144 1000 ha +0.0%
2024 354,701 1000 ha +0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 170,669 1000 ha 161,148 1000 ha 181,454 1000 ha 9
1970s 201,007 1000 ha 184,302 1000 ha 217,754 1000 ha 10
1980s 239,122 1000 ha 221,210 1000 ha 254,261 1000 ha 10
1990s 271,600 1000 ha 258,045 1000 ha 285,628 1000 ha 10
2000s 304,040 1000 ha 289,076 1000 ha 319,641 1000 ha 10
2010s 335,762 1000 ha 323,202 1000 ha 348,818 1000 ha 10
2020s 354,234 1000 ha 353,243 1000 ha 354,972 1000 ha 5

Countries ranked near World

  1. 1 India 75,500 1000 ha compare
  2. 2 China 74,915 1000 ha compare
  3. 3 China, mainland 74,542 1000 ha compare
  4. 4 OECD 64,522 1000 ha compare

See the full ranking of 250 places →

More environment data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is land area equipped for irrigation — area in World?
Land area equipped for irrigation — area in World was 354,701 1000 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest land area equipped for irrigation — area recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 354,972 1000 ha in 2021.
What is the lowest land area equipped for irrigation — area recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 161,148 1000 ha in 1961.
How does World rank for land area equipped for irrigation — area?
World ranks 1st out of 32 groups with data for 2024.
Is land area equipped for irrigation — area rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this World data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Land area equipped for irrigation — Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Land area equipped for irrigation — Area in World. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 26 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/land-area-equipped-for-irrigation-area/world/

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About this data

Indicator
Land area equipped for irrigation — Area
Unit
1000 ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
250 places, 13,824 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.