Land use in India
India: Land use was 168.32 million hectares in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
168.32 million hectares
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
1st
of 223 countries
All-time high
170.32 million hectares
in 1994
All-time low
160.99 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in India, 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 India is 168.32 million hectares, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in India peaked at 170.32 million hectares in 1994 and was at its lowest, 160.99 million hectares, in 1961.
That places India 1st out of 223 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 162.84 million hectares | 160.99 million hectares | 164.57 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 166.48 million hectares | 164.56 million hectares | 168.44 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 169.11 million hectares | 168.15 million hectares | 169.98 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 170.06 million hectares | 169.53 million hectares | 170.32 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 169.71 million hectares | 169.20 million hectares | 170.13 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 169.19 million hectares | 168.67 million hectares | 169.46 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 168.19 million hectares | 168.05 million hectares | 168.32 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More environment data for India
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 4,371 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 3.01 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 572.27 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 37.74 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 108.11 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 4.39 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 861.61 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 1.01 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 2.4 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 135.23 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in India?
- Land use in India was 168.32 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 170.32 million hectares in 1994.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 160.99 million hectares in 1961.
- How does India rank for land use?
- India ranks 1st out of 223 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this India 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
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).