Land use by country
Countries reporting
224
Highest
228.92 million hectares
USSR
Lowest
70 hectares
Faroe Islands
Median
1.09 million hectares
Years covered
63
1961–2023
Data points
13,015
What the numbers show
Land use is currently reported for 224 countries. The highest value is 228.92 million hectares in USSR; the lowest is 70 hectares in Faroe Islands.
The median across all reporting countries is 1.09 million hectares, and the mean is 8.04 million hectares.
Over the past decade 93 countries rose and 89 fell. The largest increase was in San Marino (up 130.0%), and the largest decrease in Northern Mariana Islands (down 66.0%).
Land use: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USSR | 228.92 million hectares | 1991 | down 1.2% | flat |
| 2 | India | 168.32 million hectares | 2023 | down 0.7% | flat |
| 3 | United States | 154.73 million hectares | 2023 | down 2.2% | falling |
| 4 | China | 127.58 million hectares | 2023 | down 3.6% | rising |
| 5 | Russia | 123.65 million hectares | 2023 | up 0.2% | falling |
| 6 | Brazil | 63.40 million hectares | 2023 | up 1.5% | rising |
| 7 | Nigeria | 44.23 million hectares | 2023 | up 5.1% | rising |
| 8 | Indonesia | 44.12 million hectares | 2023 | up 9.3% | rising |
| 9 | Argentina | 41.46 million hectares | 2023 | up 2.6% | rising |
| 10 | Canada | 38.31 million hectares | 2023 | up 0.9% | flat |
| 11 | Ukraine | 33.78 million hectares | 2023 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 12 | Australia | 31.37 million hectares | 2023 | down 0.7% | rising |
| 13 | Pakistan | 31.00 million hectares | 2023 | down 0.9% | flat |
| 14 | Kazakhstan | 29.80 million hectares | 2023 | up 0.9% | falling |
| 15 | Mexico | 24.45 million hectares | 2023 | down 2.3% | rising |
| 16 | Turkey | 23.97 million hectares | 2023 | up 0.7% | falling |
| 17 | Thailand | 21.58 million hectares | 2023 | down 2.1% | rising |
| 18 | Sudan | 21.21 million hectares | 2023 | up 6.1% | rising |
| 19 | Ethiopia | 18.46 million hectares | 2023 | up 10.0% | rising |
| 20 | France | 17.93 million hectares | 2023 | down 7.1% | falling |
| 21 | Niger | 17.82 million hectares | 2023 | up 5.4% | rising |
| 22 | Iran | 17.59 million hectares | 2023 | up 6.8% | rising |
| 23 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 16.90 million hectares | 2023 | up 27.7% | rising |
| 24 | Spain | 16.61 million hectares | 2023 | down 3.1% | falling |
| 25 | Tanzania | 15.52 million hectares | 2023 | up 10.6% | rising |
| 26 | Cote d'Ivoire | 14.30 million hectares | 2023 | up 53.1% | rising |
| 27 | Myanmar | 12.52 million hectares | 2023 | up 1.9% | rising |
| 28 | South Africa | 12.41 million hectares | 2023 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Germany | 11.88 million hectares | 2023 | down 1.6% | falling |
| 30 | Vietnam | 11.65 million hectares | 2023 | up 14.1% | rising |
| 31 | Poland | 11.55 million hectares | 2023 | up 3.1% | falling |
| 32 | Philippines | 11.22 million hectares | 2023 | up 2.3% | rising |
| 33 | Italy | 9.48 million hectares | 2023 | up 4.4% | falling |
| 34 | Uganda | 9.10 million hectares | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 35 | Romania | 8.81 million hectares | 2023 | down 4.1% | falling |
| 36 | Bangladesh | 8.80 million hectares | 2023 | up 3.4% | falling |
| 37 | Morocco | 8.79 million hectares | 2023 | down 8.3% | rising |
| 38 | Mali | 8.64 million hectares | 2023 | up 23.6% | volatile |
| 39 | Burkina Faso | 8.61 million hectares | 2023 | up 20.2% | rising |
| 40 | Algeria | 8.54 million hectares | 2023 | up 1.2% | rising |
| 41 | Malaysia | 8.24 million hectares | 2023 | up 6.0% | rising |
| 42 | Afghanistan | 8.12 million hectares | 2023 | up 2.6% | flat |
| 43 | Cameroon | 7.90 million hectares | 2023 | up 1.9% | rising |
| 44 | Kenya | 7.47 million hectares | 2023 | up 6.1% | rising |
| 45 | Ghana | 7.42 million hectares | 2023 | up 9.5% | rising |
| 46 | Guinea | 7.29 million hectares | 2023 | up 47.4% | rising |
| 47 | Peru | 6.20 million hectares | 2023 | up 15.9% | rising |
| 48 | United Kingdom | 6.09 million hectares | 2023 | down 3.6% | falling |
| 49 | Mozambique | 6.05 million hectares | 2023 | up 1.1% | rising |
| 50 | Bolivia | 5.82 million hectares | 2023 | up 14.4% | rising |
| 51 | Angola | 5.70 million hectares | 2023 | up 11.0% | rising |
| 52 | Belarus | 5.65 million hectares | 2023 | down 0.4% | falling |
| 53 | Iraq | 5.49 million hectares | 2023 | up 12.4% | flat |
| 54 | Syria | 5.44 million hectares | 2023 | down 5.1% | falling |
| 55 | Chad | 5.34 million hectares | 2023 | up 6.0% | rising |
| 56 | Colombia | 5.00 million hectares | 2023 | up 44.9% | falling |
| 57 | Tunisia | 4.95 million hectares | 2023 | down 3.5% | rising |
| 58 | Cambodia | 4.65 million hectares | 2023 | up 14.9% | rising |
| 59 | Paraguay | 4.64 million hectares | 2023 | up 14.6% | rising |
| 60 | Uzbekistan | 4.47 million hectares | 2023 | up 1.0% | falling |
| 61 | Japan | 4.30 million hectares | 2023 | down 5.3% | falling |
| 62 | Hungary | 4.29 million hectares | 2023 | down 4.5% | falling |
| 63 | Malawi | 4.20 million hectares | 2023 | up 13.7% | rising |
| 64 | Benin | 4.17 million hectares | 2023 | up 21.5% | rising |
| 65 | Zimbabwe | 4.07 million hectares | 2023 | down 0.5% | rising |
| 66 | Egypt | 4.06 million hectares | 2023 | up 8.8% | rising |
| 67 | Senegal | 3.91 million hectares | 2023 | up 16.1% | rising |
| 68 | Zambia | 3.84 million hectares | 2023 | up 2.7% | rising |
| 69 | Saudi Arabia | 3.64 million hectares | 2023 | down 2.0% | rising |
| 70 | Bulgaria | 3.62 million hectares | 2023 | up 0.2% | falling |
| 71 | Madagascar | 3.60 million hectares | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 72 | Cuba | 3.56 million hectares | 2023 | down 0.4% | rising |
| 73 | Venezuela | 3.30 million hectares | 2023 | unchanged | falling |
| 74 | Greece | 2.90 million hectares | 2023 | down 20.3% | falling |
| 75 | Togo | 2.82 million hectares | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 76 | Serbia | 2.82 million hectares | 2023 | up 1.4% | flat |
| 77 | Guatemala | 2.74 million hectares | 2023 | up 13.5% | rising |
| 78 | Central African Republic | 2.68 million hectares | 2023 | up 40.4% | rising |
| 79 | South Sudan | 2.57 million hectares | 2023 | down 4.3% | falling |
| 80 | Sri Lanka | 2.57 million hectares | 2023 | up 11.6% | rising |
| 81 | Czechia | 2.57 million hectares | 2023 | up 0.7% | falling |
| 82 | North Korea | 2.55 million hectares | 2023 | down 1.4% | rising |
| 83 | Sweden | 2.53 million hectares | 2023 | down 2.5% | falling |
| 84 | Ecuador | 2.41 million hectares | 2023 | down 9.5% | flat |
| 85 | Denmark | 2.40 million hectares | 2023 | down 1.6% | falling |
| 86 | Azerbaijan | 2.37 million hectares | 2023 | up 9.7% | rising |
| 87 | Lithuania | 2.34 million hectares | 2023 | up 0.6% | falling |
| 88 | Finland | 2.25 million hectares | 2023 | up 1.0% | falling |
| 89 | Uruguay | 2.24 million hectares | 2023 | down 4.6% | rising |
| 90 | Moldova | 2.14 million hectares | 2023 | up 1.2% | falling |
| 91 | Libya | 2.05 million hectares | 2023 | down 0.2% | flat |
| 92 | Nepal | 1.95 million hectares | 2023 | down 13.8% | rising |
| 93 | Chile | 1.91 million hectares | 2023 | down 1.6% | falling |
| 94 | Portugal | 1.81 million hectares | 2023 | down 4.1% | falling |
| 95 | Nicaragua | 1.80 million hectares | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 96 | Sierra Leone | 1.75 million hectares | 2023 | up 0.0% | volatile |
| 97 | Burundi | 1.67 million hectares | 2023 | up 19.0% | rising |
| 98 | Turkmenistan | 1.63 million hectares | 2023 | down 14.1% | rising |
| 99 | Honduras | 1.62 million hectares | 2023 | up 3.9% | flat |
| 100 | Laos | 1.61 million hectares | 2023 | down 3.3% | rising |
| 101 | Dominican Republic | 1.52 million hectares | 2023 | up 17.5% | rising |
| 102 | South Korea | 1.51 million hectares | 2023 | down 11.6% | falling |
| 103 | Rwanda | 1.50 million hectares | 2023 | down 4.6% | rising |
| 104 | Yemen | 1.45 million hectares | 2023 | down 3.1% | rising |
| 105 | Austria | 1.39 million hectares | 2023 | down 2.3% | falling |
| 106 | Latvia | 1.37 million hectares | 2023 | up 12.9% | flat |
| 107 | Kyrgyzstan | 1.36 million hectares | 2023 | up 0.7% | falling |
| 108 | Slovakia | 1.32 million hectares | 2023 | down 4.2% | falling |
| 109 | Haiti | 1.30 million hectares | 2023 | down 17.3% | rising |
| 110 | Papua New Guinea | 1.22 million hectares | 2023 | up 10.9% | rising |
| 111 | Mongolia | 1.15 million hectares | 2023 | down 11.1% | rising |
| 112 | Somalia | 1.13 million hectares | 2023 | up 0.3% | rising |
| 113 | Tajikistan | 1.05 million hectares | 2023 | up 15.8% | rising |
| 114 | Netherlands | 1.04 million hectares | 2023 | down 2.7% | rising |
| 115 | Croatia | 947,000 hectares | 2023 | down 0.2% | falling |
| 116 | Belgium | 886,359 hectares | 2023 | up 5.7% | flat |
| 117 | El Salvador | 881,000 hectares | 2023 | up 0.7% | rising |
| 118 | Namibia | 812,000 hectares | 2023 | up 0.4% | rising |
| 119 | Norway | 806,000 hectares | 2023 | down 0.6% | flat |
| 120 | Taiwan | 779,000 hectares | 2023 | down 2.6% | falling |
| 121 | Estonia | 715,000 hectares | 2023 | up 11.5% | falling |
| 122 | Liberia | 700,000 hectares | 2023 | down 1.4% | rising |
| 123 | Eritrea | 692,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 124 | Panama | 680,966 hectares | 2023 | down 7.2% | rising |
| 125 | Albania | 678,500 hectares | 2023 | down 2.6% | rising |
| 126 | Congo | 651,400 hectares | 2023 | up 3.3% | rising |
| 127 | Guinea-Bissau | 645,530 hectares | 2023 | up 17.4% | rising |
| 128 | New Zealand | 592,000 hectares | 2023 | down 4.2% | rising |
| 129 | Costa Rica | 544,348 hectares | 2023 | down 1.2% | rising |
| 130 | Armenia | 503,400 hectares | 2023 | down 0.5% | flat |
| 131 | Gabon | 495,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 132 | Mauritania | 460,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 133 | North Macedonia | 456,000 hectares | 2023 | up 1.3% | falling |
| 134 | Gambia | 447,000 hectares | 2023 | down 2.2% | rising |
| 135 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 444,000 hectares | 2023 | down 60.2% | falling |
| 136 | Ireland | 441,000 hectares | 2023 | down 7.2% | falling |
| 137 | Georgia | 431,900 hectares | 2023 | down 20.9% | falling |
| 138 | Switzerland | 421,731 hectares | 2023 | down 1.4% | rising |
| 139 | Israel | 372,700 hectares | 2023 | down 2.0% | flat |
| 140 | Lesotho | 360,748 hectares | 2023 | up 43.1% | falling |
| 141 | Jordan | 287,300 hectares | 2023 | down 8.7% | falling |
| 142 | Lebanon | 274,214 hectares | 2023 | up 5.5% | falling |
| 143 | Botswana | 262,000 hectares | 2023 | down 7.1% | falling |
| 144 | Slovenia | 233,380 hectares | 2023 | down 1.6% | rising |
| 145 | Eswatini | 195,000 hectares | 2023 | up 1.0% | rising |
| 146 | East Timor | 191,400 hectares | 2023 | up 0.9% | rising |
| 147 | Jamaica | 188,000 hectares | 2023 | down 0.9% | falling |
| 148 | Vanuatu | 145,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 149 | Fiji | 138,600 hectares | 2023 | down 3.8% | falling |
| 150 | Belize | 132,000 hectares | 2023 | up 20.0% | rising |
| 151 | Cyprus | 126,892 hectares | 2023 | up 18.6% | volatile |
| 152 | Guyana | 126,000 hectares | 2023 | up 0.8% | rising |
| 153 | Oman | 121,730 hectares | 2023 | up 77.7% | rising |
| 154 | Iceland | 121,000 hectares | 2023 | down 0.2% | flat |
| 155 | Comoros | 118,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 156 | Bhutan | 114,000 hectares | 2023 | up 1.2% | flat |
| 157 | Palestine | 113,200 hectares | 2023 | down 17.6% | falling |
| 158 | Solomon Islands | 101,200 hectares | 2023 | up 12.1% | rising |
| 159 | Equatorial Guinea | 99,800 hectares | 2023 | down 0.2% | falling |
| 160 | United Arab Emirates | 91,704 hectares | 2023 | up 15.5% | volatile |
| 161 | Mauritius | 78,957 hectares | 2023 | down 0.1% | falling |
| 162 | Puerto Rico | 66,200 hectares | 2023 | down 18.5% | volatile |
| 163 | Luxembourg | 62,878 hectares | 2023 | down 1.7% | flat |
| 164 | Suriname | 55,432 hectares | 2023 | down 16.0% | rising |
| 165 | Cape Verde | 54,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 166 | Trinidad and Tobago | 47,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | falling |
| 167 | Samoa | 42,420 hectares | 2023 | down 18.4% | falling |
| 168 | Sao Tome and Principe | 42,000 hectares | 2023 | up 23.5% | rising |
| 169 | Kiribati | 34,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | falling |
| 170 | Tonga | 31,000 hectares | 2023 | up 6.9% | flat |
| 171 | Reunion | 28,665 hectares | 2023 | down 25.7% | falling |
| 172 | French Polynesia | 28,500 hectares | 2023 | up 11.8% | rising |
| 173 | Qatar | 24,000 hectares | 2023 | up 18.8% | volatile |
| 174 | Isle of Man | 23,440 hectares | 2023 | up 7.0% | flat |
| 175 | Dominica | 23,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 176 | Guadeloupe | 22,387 hectares | 2023 | down 7.5% | falling |
| 177 | Mayotte | 19,389 hectares | 2023 | down 3.1% | rising |
| 178 | Martinique | 16,848 hectares | 2023 | down 5.9% | falling |
| 179 | French Guiana | 16,435 hectares | 2023 | down 7.1% | volatile |
| 180 | Montenegro | 14,340 hectares | 2023 | up 14.6% | volatile |
| 181 | Kuwait | 14,000 hectares | 2023 | down 20.5% | volatile |
| 182 | Bahamas | 11,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 183 | Brunei | 10,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | falling |
| 184 | New Caledonia | 9,700 hectares | 2023 | down 0.3% | falling |
| 185 | Saint Lucia | 9,570 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | falling |
| 186 | Malta | 8,291 hectares | 2023 | down 19.0% | falling |
| 187 | Barbados | 8,000 hectares | 2023 | down 23.8% | falling |
| 187 | Guam | 8,000 hectares | 2023 | down 20.0% | flat |
| 187 | Netherlands Antilles | 8,000 hectares | 2010 | unchanged | rising |
| 190 | Grenada | 7,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | falling |
| 190 | Marshall Islands | 7,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | falling |
| 192 | Wallis and Futuna | 6,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 193 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 5,100 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | falling |
| 194 | Antigua and Barbuda | 5,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | falling |
| 194 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 5,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | falling |
| 196 | Maldives | 4,900 hectares | 2023 | down 9.3% | rising |
| 197 | Bahrain | 4,100 hectares | 2023 | down 9.5% | falling |
| 198 | Western Sahara | 4,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 198 | Saint Helena | 4,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 200 | Djibouti | 3,900 hectares | 2023 | up 39.3% | volatile |
| 201 | Niue | 3,800 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 202 | Hong Kong | 3,000 hectares | 2023 | down 26.8% | falling |
| 203 | American Samoa | 2,960 hectares | 2023 | up 11.3% | rising |
| 204 | Palau | 2,300 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | flat |
| 204 | San Marino | 2,300 hectares | 2023 | up 130.0% | rising |
| 206 | Aruba | 2,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | flat |
| 206 | Micronesia (country) | 2,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | falling |
| 206 | British Virgin Islands | 2,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | falling |
| 206 | Montserrat | 2,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | falling |
| 206 | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 2,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | falling |
| 211 | Cook Islands | 1,900 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | falling |
| 212 | Tuvalu | 1,800 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | falling |
| 213 | Liechtenstein | 1,730 hectares | 2023 | down 10.8% | falling |
| 214 | Seychelles | 1,550 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | falling |
| 215 | United States Virgin Islands | 1,100 hectares | 2023 | down 45.0% | falling |
| 216 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 1,000 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | flat |
| 217 | Andorra | 740.8 hectares | 2023 | down 8.5% | falling |
| 218 | Cayman Islands | 700 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | flat |
| 219 | Singapore | 660 hectares | 2023 | down 1.5% | volatile |
| 220 | Tokelau | 600 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 221 | Nauru | 400 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 222 | Bermuda | 300 hectares | 2023 | unchanged | flat |
| 223 | Northern Mariana Islands | 170 hectares | 2023 | down 66.0% | volatile |
| 224 | Faroe Islands | 70 hectares | 2023 | up 9.4% | flat |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- OECD (FAO) 382.61 million hectares