Land use for palm oil production in Brazil
Brazil: Land use for palm oil production was 221,828 hectares in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
221,828 hectares
Change on year
up 10.2%
World rank
13th
of 44 countries
All-time high
221,828 hectares
in 2024
All-time low
2,000 hectares
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Land use for palm oil production in Brazil, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Brazil recorded 221,828 hectares for land use for palm oil production in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.2% on the previous year and up 75.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use for palm oil production in Brazil peaked at 221,828 hectares in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2,000 hectares, in 1961.
Brazil ranks 13th of 44 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.
Land use for palm oil production in Brazil, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 2,300 hectares | +15.0% |
| 1963 | 2,400 hectares | +4.3% |
| 1964 | 2,900 hectares | +20.8% |
| 1965 | 4,000 hectares | +37.9% |
| 1966 | 5,200 hectares | +30.0% |
| 1967 | 4,600 hectares | -11.5% |
| 1968 | 4,900 hectares | +6.5% |
| 1969 | 5,500 hectares | +12.2% |
| 1970 | 2,200 hectares | -60.0% |
| 1971 | 2,500 hectares | +13.6% |
| 1972 | 2,700 hectares | +8.0% |
| 1973 | 2,900 hectares | +7.4% |
| 1974 | 3,100 hectares | +6.9% |
| 1975 | 3,300 hectares | +6.5% |
| 1976 | 4,300 hectares | +30.3% |
| 1977 | 5,700 hectares | +32.6% |
| 1978 | 7,100 hectares | +24.6% |
| 1979 | 7,600 hectares | +7.0% |
| 1980 | 5,700 hectares | -25.0% |
| 1981 | 6,600 hectares | +15.8% |
| 1982 | 7,600 hectares | +15.2% |
| 1983 | 8,600 hectares | +13.2% |
| 1984 | 11,000 hectares | +27.9% |
| 1985 | 13,500 hectares | +22.7% |
| 1986 | 14,500 hectares | +7.4% |
| 1987 | 18,000 hectares | +24.1% |
| 1988 | 21,000 hectares | +16.7% |
| 1989 | 25,000 hectares | +19.0% |
| 1990 | 33,000 hectares | +32.0% |
| 1991 | 69,316 hectares | +110.0% |
| 1992 | 80,932 hectares | +16.8% |
| 1993 | 69,714 hectares | -13.9% |
| 1994 | 67,388 hectares | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 68,003 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 72,929 hectares | +7.2% |
| 1997 | 80,345 hectares | +10.2% |
| 1998 | 79,021 hectares | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 77,773 hectares | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 81,881 hectares | +5.3% |
| 2001 | 84,636 hectares | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 78,363 hectares | -7.4% |
| 2003 | 85,889 hectares | +9.6% |
| 2004 | 87,542 hectares | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 87,925 hectares | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 96,509 hectares | +9.8% |
| 2007 | 102,042 hectares | +5.7% |
| 2008 | 103,158 hectares | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 103,904 hectares | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 106,420 hectares | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 109,080 hectares | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 113,135 hectares | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 108,635 hectares | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 126,559 hectares | +16.5% |
| 2015 | 140,082 hectares | +10.7% |
| 2016 | 135,546 hectares | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 115,133 hectares | -15.1% |
| 2018 | 161,558 hectares | +40.3% |
| 2019 | 177,475 hectares | +9.9% |
| 2020 | 201,702 hectares | +13.7% |
| 2021 | 197,165 hectares | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 200,624 hectares | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 201,222 hectares | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 221,828 hectares | +10.2% |
Brazil compared with similar countries
- Brazil's 221,828 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 101,305 hectares, 2.2× the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Brazil's 221,828 hectares is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 87,371 hectares, 2.5× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Land use for palm oil production in Brazil changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +110.0% | 33,000 hectares | 69,316 hectares |
| 1970 | -60.0% | 5,500 hectares | 2,200 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3,756 hectares | 2,000 hectares | 5,500 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 4,140 hectares | 2,200 hectares | 7,600 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 13,150 hectares | 5,700 hectares | 25,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 69,842 hectares | 33,000 hectares | 80,932 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 91,185 hectares | 78,363 hectares | 103,904 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 129,362 hectares | 106,420 hectares | 177,475 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 204,508 hectares | 197,165 hectares | 221,828 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Brazil
More environment data for Brazil
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -6.93 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -8.24 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.221 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.36 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 14.48 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.155 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -2.73 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use for palm oil production in Brazil?
- Land use for palm oil production in Brazil was 221,828 hectares in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use for palm oil production recorded in Brazil?
- The highest recorded value was 221,828 hectares in 2024.
- What is the lowest land use for palm oil production recorded in Brazil?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,000 hectares in 1961.
- How does Brazil rank for land use for palm oil production?
- Brazil ranks 13th out of 44 countries with data for 2024.
- Is land use for palm oil production rising or falling in Brazil?
- Over the last ten years it is up 75.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Brazil data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use for palm oil production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).