Land use over the long-term in Canada
Canada: Land use over the long-term was 18.12 million hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
18.12 million hectares
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
39th
of 202 countries
All-time high
25.60 million hectares
in 1965
All-time low
0 hectares
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025
Land use over the long-term in Canada, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for land use over the long-term in Canada is 18.12 million hectares, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use over the long-term in Canada peaked at 25.60 million hectares in 1965 and was at its lowest, 0 hectares, in 1000.
That places Canada 39th out of 202 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1100s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1200s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1300s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1400s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1500s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1600s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1700s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1710s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1720s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1730s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1740s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1750s | 9,071 hectares | 9,071 hectares | 9,071 hectares | 1 |
| 1760s | 13,606 hectares | 13,606 hectares | 13,606 hectares | 1 |
| 1770s | 26,350 hectares | 26,350 hectares | 26,350 hectares | 1 |
| 1780s | 39,731 hectares | 39,731 hectares | 39,731 hectares | 1 |
| 1790s | 60,008 hectares | 60,008 hectares | 60,008 hectares | 1 |
| 1800s | 90,836 hectares | 90,836 hectares | 90,836 hectares | 1 |
| 1810s | 148,421 hectares | 148,421 hectares | 148,421 hectares | 1 |
| 1820s | 225,927 hectares | 225,927 hectares | 225,927 hectares | 1 |
| 1830s | 345,482 hectares | 345,482 hectares | 345,482 hectares | 1 |
| 1840s | 531,406 hectares | 531,406 hectares | 531,406 hectares | 1 |
| 1850s | 823,476 hectares | 823,476 hectares | 823,476 hectares | 1 |
| 1860s | 1.29 million hectares | 1.29 million hectares | 1.29 million hectares | 1 |
| 1870s | 2.57 million hectares | 2.57 million hectares | 2.57 million hectares | 1 |
| 1880s | 3.14 million hectares | 3.14 million hectares | 3.14 million hectares | 1 |
| 1890s | 4.01 million hectares | 4.01 million hectares | 4.01 million hectares | 1 |
| 1900s | 4.05 million hectares | 4.05 million hectares | 4.05 million hectares | 1 |
| 1910s | 5.86 million hectares | 5.86 million hectares | 5.86 million hectares | 1 |
| 1920s | 9.63 million hectares | 9.63 million hectares | 9.63 million hectares | 1 |
| 1930s | 12.29 million hectares | 12.29 million hectares | 12.29 million hectares | 1 |
| 1940s | 15.74 million hectares | 15.74 million hectares | 15.74 million hectares | 1 |
| 1950s | 19.97 million hectares | 15.74 million hectares | 24.21 million hectares | 10 |
| 1960s | 25.23 million hectares | 24.78 million hectares | 25.60 million hectares | 10 |
| 1970s | 23.71 million hectares | 21.93 million hectares | 24.58 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 19.95 million hectares | 19.22 million hectares | 21.28 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.03 million hectares | 19.93 million hectares | 20.11 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.02 million hectares | 20.15 million hectares | 21.88 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.62 million hectares | 18.87 million hectares | 20.42 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.43 million hectares | 18.12 million hectares | 18.72 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More environment data for Canada
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 768.06 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 18.61 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 30.53 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.7994 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 71.72 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.2499 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 133.08 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.1643 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.5773 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 28.85 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use over the long-term in Canada?
- Land use over the long-term in Canada was 18.12 million hectares in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use over the long-term recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 25.60 million hectares in 1965.
- What is the lowest land use over the long-term recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 hectares in 1000.
- How does Canada rank for land use over the long-term?
- Canada ranks 39th out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is land use over the long-term rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use over the long-term. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total grazingland area for each separate country over time.