Land use in Canada
Canada: Land use was 38.31 million hectares in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
38.31 million hectares
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
10th
of 224 countries
All-time high
41.68 million hectares
in 1986
All-time low
36.70 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Canada, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Canada recorded 38.31 million hectares for land use in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Canada peaked at 41.68 million hectares in 1986 and was at its lowest, 36.70 million hectares, in 1961.
That places Canada 10th out of 224 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
Land use in Canada, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 36.70 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 37.02 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1963 | 37.34 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1964 | 37.67 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 37.99 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 38.32 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1967 | 38.38 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 38.45 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1969 | 38.52 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 38.59 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1971 | 38.65 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 38.77 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 38.90 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 39.02 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 39.14 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 39.26 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 39.54 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 39.82 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 40.10 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 40.38 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 40.67 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 40.87 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 41.07 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 41.27 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 41.48 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 41.68 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 41.63 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 41.58 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 41.53 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 41.48 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 41.43 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 41.39 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 41.35 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 41.31 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 41.27 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 41.23 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 41.21 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 41.18 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 41.16 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 41.14 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 41.11 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 40.78 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 40.45 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 40.11 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 39.78 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 39.45 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 39.05 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 38.66 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 38.26 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 37.86 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 37.46 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 37.71 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 37.96 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 38.21 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 38.46 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 38.71 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 38.68 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 38.86 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 38.81 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 38.40 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 38.43 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 38.52 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 38.31 million hectares | -0.5% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 38.31 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 303,040 hectares, 126.4× the median. (78 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 37.82 million hectares | 36.70 million hectares | 38.52 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 39.18 million hectares | 38.59 million hectares | 40.10 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 41.22 million hectares | 40.38 million hectares | 41.68 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 41.30 million hectares | 41.16 million hectares | 41.48 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 39.88 million hectares | 38.26 million hectares | 41.14 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.27 million hectares | 37.46 million hectares | 38.86 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.42 million hectares | 38.31 million hectares | 38.52 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More environment data for Canada
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.76 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.642 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.96 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.7 % 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 -0.3398 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Canada?
- Land use in Canada was 38.31 million hectares in 2023, 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 recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 41.68 million hectares in 1986.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.70 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Canada rank for land use?
- Canada ranks 10th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Canada 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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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