Land use in Jordan
Jordan: Land use was 287,300 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
287,300 hectares
Change on year
down 4.4%
World rank
141st
of 224 countries
All-time high
374,000 hectares
in 1988
All-time low
219,400 hectares
in 1991
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Jordan, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, land use in Jordan stood at 287,300 hectares.
The figure is down 4.4% on the previous year and down 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Jordan peaked at 374,000 hectares in 1988 and was at its lowest, 219,400 hectares, in 1991.
Jordan ranks 141st of 224 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Jordan, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 294,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 296,000 hectares | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 297,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 301,000 hectares | +1.3% |
| 1965 | 302,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 304,000 hectares | +0.7% |
| 1967 | 307,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1968 | 309,000 hectares | +0.7% |
| 1969 | 310,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1970 | 314,000 hectares | +1.3% |
| 1971 | 315,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 319,000 hectares | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 320,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 324,000 hectares | +1.2% |
| 1975 | 325,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 327,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 328,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 332,000 hectares | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 335,000 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 337,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 327,600 hectares | -2.8% |
| 1982 | 334,100 hectares | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 347,000 hectares | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 259,100 hectares | -25.3% |
| 1985 | 326,800 hectares | +26.1% |
| 1986 | 334,800 hectares | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 365,000 hectares | +9.0% |
| 1988 | 374,000 hectares | +2.5% |
| 1989 | 358,800 hectares | -4.1% |
| 1990 | 249,200 hectares | -30.5% |
| 1991 | 219,400 hectares | -12.0% |
| 1992 | 329,700 hectares | +50.3% |
| 1993 | 299,000 hectares | -9.3% |
| 1994 | 281,000 hectares | -6.0% |
| 1995 | 323,000 hectares | +14.9% |
| 1996 | 260,000 hectares | -19.5% |
| 1997 | 270,000 hectares | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 275,000 hectares | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 276,000 hectares | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 278,000 hectares | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 280,000 hectares | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 283,000 hectares | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 263,000 hectares | -7.1% |
| 2004 | 295,000 hectares | +12.2% |
| 2005 | 271,000 hectares | -8.1% |
| 2006 | 276,000 hectares | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 221,300 hectares | -19.8% |
| 2008 | 230,500 hectares | +4.2% |
| 2009 | 283,000 hectares | +22.8% |
| 2010 | 260,300 hectares | -8.0% |
| 2011 | 260,600 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 302,900 hectares | +16.2% |
| 2013 | 314,600 hectares | +3.9% |
| 2014 | 322,000 hectares | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 314,300 hectares | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 323,960 hectares | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 265,000 hectares | -18.2% |
| 2018 | 279,800 hectares | +5.6% |
| 2019 | 294,500 hectares | +5.3% |
| 2020 | 287,000 hectares | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 281,000 hectares | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 300,534 hectares | +7.0% |
| 2023 | 287,300 hectares | -4.4% |
Jordan compared with similar countries
- Jordan's 287,300 hectares is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.58 million hectares, 18% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Jordan's 287,300 hectares is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.45 million hectares, 20% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Land use in Jordan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | +50.3% | 219,400 hectares | 329,700 hectares |
| 1990 | -30.5% | 358,800 hectares | 249,200 hectares |
| 1984 | -25.3% | 347,000 hectares | 259,100 hectares |
| 1985 | +26.1% | 259,100 hectares | 326,800 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 302,222 hectares | 294,000 hectares | 310,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 323,900 hectares | 314,000 hectares | 335,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 336,420 hectares | 259,100 hectares | 374,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 278,230 hectares | 219,400 hectares | 329,700 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 268,080 hectares | 221,300 hectares | 295,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 293,796 hectares | 260,300 hectares | 323,960 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 288,958 hectares | 281,000 hectares | 300,534 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Jordan
More environment data for Jordan
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -40.96 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -27.19 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.533 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.64 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.32 % 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 -0.0264 % 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 Jordan?
- Land use in Jordan was 287,300 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 Jordan?
- The highest recorded value was 374,000 hectares in 1988.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Jordan?
- The lowest recorded value was 219,400 hectares in 1991.
- How does Jordan rank for land use?
- Jordan ranks 141st out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Jordan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Jordan 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.
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