Land use over the long-term in Western Sahara
Western Sahara: Land use over the long-term was 5.00 million hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
5.00 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
65th
of 202 countries
All-time high
5.00 million hectares
in 1978
All-time low
63.91 hectares
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025
Land use over the long-term in Western Sahara, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2025, land use over the long-term in Western Sahara stood at 5.00 million hectares. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use over the long-term in Western Sahara peaked at 5.00 million hectares in 1978 and was at its lowest, 63.91 hectares, in 1000.
Western Sahara ranks 65th of 202 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
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 | 63.91 hectares | 63.91 hectares | 63.91 hectares | 1 |
| 1100s | 119.83 hectares | 119.83 hectares | 119.83 hectares | 1 |
| 1200s | 224.67 hectares | 224.67 hectares | 224.67 hectares | 1 |
| 1300s | 421.26 hectares | 421.26 hectares | 421.26 hectares | 1 |
| 1400s | 789.87 hectares | 789.87 hectares | 789.87 hectares | 1 |
| 1500s | 1,481 hectares | 1,481 hectares | 1,481 hectares | 1 |
| 1600s | 2,777 hectares | 2,777 hectares | 2,777 hectares | 1 |
| 1700s | 5,207 hectares | 5,207 hectares | 5,207 hectares | 1 |
| 1710s | 6,530 hectares | 6,530 hectares | 6,530 hectares | 1 |
| 1720s | 8,190 hectares | 8,190 hectares | 8,190 hectares | 1 |
| 1730s | 10,272 hectares | 10,272 hectares | 10,272 hectares | 1 |
| 1740s | 12,882 hectares | 12,882 hectares | 12,882 hectares | 1 |
| 1750s | 16,157 hectares | 16,157 hectares | 16,157 hectares | 1 |
| 1760s | 20,264 hectares | 20,264 hectares | 20,264 hectares | 1 |
| 1770s | 25,414 hectares | 25,414 hectares | 25,414 hectares | 1 |
| 1780s | 31,874 hectares | 31,874 hectares | 31,874 hectares | 1 |
| 1790s | 39,976 hectares | 39,976 hectares | 39,976 hectares | 1 |
| 1800s | 50,137 hectares | 50,137 hectares | 50,137 hectares | 1 |
| 1810s | 62,881 hectares | 62,881 hectares | 62,881 hectares | 1 |
| 1820s | 79,262 hectares | 79,262 hectares | 79,262 hectares | 1 |
| 1830s | 99,910 hectares | 99,910 hectares | 99,910 hectares | 1 |
| 1840s | 125,937 hectares | 125,937 hectares | 125,937 hectares | 1 |
| 1850s | 158,744 hectares | 158,744 hectares | 158,744 hectares | 1 |
| 1860s | 157,753 hectares | 157,753 hectares | 157,753 hectares | 1 |
| 1870s | 158,452 hectares | 158,452 hectares | 158,452 hectares | 1 |
| 1880s | 158,938 hectares | 158,938 hectares | 158,938 hectares | 1 |
| 1890s | 159,170 hectares | 159,170 hectares | 159,170 hectares | 1 |
| 1900s | 159,094 hectares | 159,094 hectares | 159,094 hectares | 1 |
| 1910s | 158,638 hectares | 158,638 hectares | 158,638 hectares | 1 |
| 1920s | 309,106 hectares | 309,106 hectares | 309,106 hectares | 1 |
| 1930s | 599,936 hectares | 599,936 hectares | 599,936 hectares | 1 |
| 1940s | 1.16 million hectares | 1.16 million hectares | 1.16 million hectares | 1 |
| 1950s | 3.33 million hectares | 2.22 million hectares | 4.59 million hectares | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.00 million hectares | 5.00 million hectares | 5.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.00 million hectares | 5.00 million hectares | 5.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.00 million hectares | 5.00 million hectares | 5.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.00 million hectares | 5.00 million hectares | 5.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.00 million hectares | 5.00 million hectares | 5.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.00 million hectares | 5.00 million hectares | 5.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.00 million hectares | 5.00 million hectares | 5.00 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Western Sahara
More environment data for Western Sahara
- Forest area 529,220 hectares (2025)
- Share of global forest area 0.0% (2025)
- Annual change in forest area as a share of forest area -0.2% (2025)
- Annual change in forest area -798.01 hectares (2025)
- Annual change in forest area vs. GDP per capita -0.2% (2025)
- Change in domestic forest area vs. deforestation embedded in imported goods -798.01 hectares (2025)
- Emissions of air pollutants 571.23 tonnes (2022)
- Exposure to air pollution from human sources 5.82 micrograms per cubic meter (2024)
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution 19.5 µg/m³ (2024)
- Grazing land use over the long-term 5.00 million hectares (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use over the long-term in Western Sahara?
- Land use over the long-term in Western Sahara was 5.00 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 Western Sahara?
- The highest recorded value was 5.00 million hectares in 1978.
- What is the lowest land use over the long-term recorded in Western Sahara?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.91 hectares in 1000.
- How does Western Sahara rank for land use over the long-term?
- Western Sahara ranks 65th out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is land use over the long-term rising or falling in Western Sahara?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Western Sahara 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.