Land use in Colombia
Colombia: Land use was 5.00 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
5.00 million hectares
Change on year
up 2.3%
World rank
56th
of 224 countries
All-time high
5.32 million hectares
in 1987
All-time low
3.35 million hectares
in 2010
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Colombia, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for land use in Colombia is 5.00 million hectares, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 2.3% on the previous year and up 44.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Colombia peaked at 5.32 million hectares in 1987 and was at its lowest, 3.35 million hectares, in 2010.
Colombia ranks 56th of 224 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Colombia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4.97 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 4.97 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 4.99 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1964 | 5.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 5.01 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 5.02 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 5.02 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1968 | 5.03 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 5.03 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 5.03 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 5.05 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 5.07 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 5.08 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 5.10 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 5.12 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 5.13 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 5.15 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 5.16 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 5.18 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 5.19 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 5.21 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 5.22 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 5.24 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 5.26 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 5.28 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 5.29 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 5.32 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 5.20 million hectares | -2.2% |
| 1989 | 5.10 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 1990 | 5.00 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 1991 | 4.80 million hectares | -4.0% |
| 1992 | 4.90 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 4.82 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 4.78 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 4.43 million hectares | -7.4% |
| 1996 | 4.10 million hectares | -7.5% |
| 1997 | 4.26 million hectares | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 4.38 million hectares | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 4.36 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 4.54 million hectares | +4.1% |
| 2001 | 4.13 million hectares | -9.0% |
| 2002 | 3.74 million hectares | -9.6% |
| 2003 | 3.75 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 3.71 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 3.61 million hectares | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 3.37 million hectares | -6.7% |
| 2007 | 3.57 million hectares | +6.0% |
| 2008 | 3.46 million hectares | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 3.35 million hectares | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 3.35 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 3.41 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 3.45 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 3.45 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 3.56 million hectares | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 3.66 million hectares | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 3.77 million hectares | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 3.88 million hectares | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 4.45 million hectares | +14.6% |
| 2019 | 4.62 million hectares | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 4.71 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 4.79 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 4.88 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 5.00 million hectares | +2.3% |
Colombia compared with similar countries
- Colombia's 5.00 million hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.58 million hectares, 3.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Colombia's 5.00 million hectares is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 544,348 hectares, 9.2× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.00 million hectares | 4.97 million hectares | 5.03 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 5.11 million hectares | 5.03 million hectares | 5.18 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.23 million hectares | 5.10 million hectares | 5.32 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.58 million hectares | 4.10 million hectares | 5.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.72 million hectares | 3.35 million hectares | 4.54 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.76 million hectares | 3.35 million hectares | 4.62 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.84 million hectares | 4.71 million hectares | 5.00 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
More environment data for Colombia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.4233 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 0.2774 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.267 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.59 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.9788 % 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 0.2077 % 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 Colombia?
- Land use in Colombia was 5.00 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 Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.32 million hectares in 1987.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.35 million hectares in 2010.
- How does Colombia rank for land use?
- Colombia ranks 56th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 44.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Colombia 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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