Land use over the long term in South Africa
South Africa: Land use over the long term was 83.93 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
83.93 million
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
10th
of 202 countries
All-time high
89.15 million
in 1961
All-time low
87,821
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025
Land use over the long term in South Africa, 1000–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 83.93 million for land use over the long term in 2025.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use over the long term in South Africa peaked at 89.15 million in 1961 and was at its lowest, 87,821, in 1000.
That places South Africa 10th out of 202 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
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 | 87,821 | 87,821 | 87,821 | 1 |
| 1100s | 131,731 | 131,731 | 131,731 | 1 |
| 1200s | 192,108 | 192,108 | 192,108 | 1 |
| 1300s | 274,440 | 274,440 | 274,440 | 1 |
| 1400s | 385,931 | 385,931 | 385,931 | 1 |
| 1500s | 536,015 | 536,015 | 536,015 | 1 |
| 1600s | 781,689 | 781,689 | 781,689 | 1 |
| 1700s | 1.40 million | 1.40 million | 1.40 million | 1 |
| 1710s | 1.71 million | 1.71 million | 1.71 million | 1 |
| 1720s | 2.10 million | 2.10 million | 2.10 million | 1 |
| 1730s | 2.57 million | 2.57 million | 2.57 million | 1 |
| 1740s | 3.15 million | 3.15 million | 3.15 million | 1 |
| 1750s | 3.86 million | 3.86 million | 3.86 million | 1 |
| 1760s | 3.78 million | 3.78 million | 3.78 million | 1 |
| 1770s | 3.70 million | 3.70 million | 3.70 million | 1 |
| 1780s | 3.62 million | 3.62 million | 3.62 million | 1 |
| 1790s | 3.54 million | 3.54 million | 3.54 million | 1 |
| 1800s | 3.46 million | 3.46 million | 3.46 million | 1 |
| 1810s | 3.37 million | 3.37 million | 3.37 million | 1 |
| 1820s | 3.29 million | 3.29 million | 3.29 million | 1 |
| 1830s | 3.21 million | 3.21 million | 3.21 million | 1 |
| 1840s | 3.13 million | 3.13 million | 3.13 million | 1 |
| 1850s | 3.69 million | 3.69 million | 3.69 million | 1 |
| 1860s | 4.55 million | 4.55 million | 4.55 million | 1 |
| 1870s | 6.03 million | 6.03 million | 6.03 million | 1 |
| 1880s | 11.94 million | 11.94 million | 11.94 million | 1 |
| 1890s | 14.65 million | 14.65 million | 14.65 million | 1 |
| 1900s | 20.44 million | 20.44 million | 20.44 million | 1 |
| 1910s | 27.41 million | 27.41 million | 27.41 million | 1 |
| 1920s | 33.93 million | 33.93 million | 33.93 million | 1 |
| 1930s | 42.23 million | 42.23 million | 42.23 million | 1 |
| 1940s | 51.22 million | 51.22 million | 51.22 million | 1 |
| 1950s | 75.90 million | 67.51 million | 84.54 million | 10 |
| 1960s | 85.42 million | 83.21 million | 89.15 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 82.00 million | 81.43 million | 82.97 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 81.59 million | 81.38 million | 82.30 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 83.44 million | 82.50 million | 83.93 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 83.93 million | 83.93 million | 83.93 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.93 million | 83.93 million | 83.93 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 83.93 million | 83.93 million | 83.93 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More environment data for South Africa
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 569.81 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 8.9 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 25.85 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 1.31 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 40 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.1686 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 93.23 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.055 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.1946 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 25.44 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use over the long term in South Africa?
- Land use over the long term in South Africa was 83.93 million in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use over the long term recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 89.15 million in 1961.
- What is the lowest land use over the long term recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 87,821 in 1000.
- How does South Africa rank for land use over the long term?
- South Africa ranks 10th out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is land use over the long term rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from 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).