Land use in Pakistan
Pakistan: Land use was 31.00 million hectares in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
31.00 million hectares
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
13th
of 224 countries
All-time high
33.51 million hectares
in 1982
All-time low
30.21 million hectares
in 1990
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Pakistan, 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 Pakistan stood at 31.00 million hectares.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Pakistan peaked at 33.51 million hectares in 1982 and was at its lowest, 30.21 million hectares, in 1990.
Pakistan ranks 13th of 224 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Land use in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 30.73 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 30.84 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 30.88 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 31.36 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 1965 | 32.23 million hectares | +2.8% |
| 1966 | 32.41 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 32.47 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 32.17 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 30.70 million hectares | -4.6% |
| 1970 | 30.86 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 30.48 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1972 | 30.50 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 31.40 million hectares | +2.9% |
| 1974 | 30.74 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 1975 | 31.04 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 30.71 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1977 | 30.91 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 31.42 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 31.34 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 32.42 million hectares | +3.4% |
| 1981 | 31.50 million hectares | -2.8% |
| 1982 | 33.51 million hectares | +6.4% |
| 1983 | 31.41 million hectares | -6.3% |
| 1984 | 32.50 million hectares | +3.5% |
| 1985 | 32.12 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1986 | 30.57 million hectares | -4.8% |
| 1987 | 31.67 million hectares | +3.6% |
| 1988 | 30.35 million hectares | -4.2% |
| 1989 | 30.86 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 30.21 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 1991 | 30.27 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 30.38 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 30.75 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 30.79 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 31.03 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 31.17 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 31.67 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 31.76 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 31.76 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 31.70 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 31.97 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 31.88 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 31.84 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 31.05 million hectares | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 30.96 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 31.14 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 31.01 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 30.31 million hectares | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 30.28 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 30.24 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 30.94 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 31.06 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 31.28 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 31.25 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 31.20 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 31.79 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 32.00 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 31.95 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 31.27 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 31.67 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 31.01 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 30.95 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 31.00 million hectares | +0.2% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 31.00 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.82 million hectares, 11.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 31.00 million hectares is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.45 million hectares, 21.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 31.53 million hectares | 30.70 million hectares | 32.47 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 30.94 million hectares | 30.48 million hectares | 31.42 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 31.69 million hectares | 30.35 million hectares | 33.51 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 30.98 million hectares | 30.21 million hectares | 31.76 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 31.21 million hectares | 30.28 million hectares | 31.97 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.30 million hectares | 30.24 million hectares | 32.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.16 million hectares | 30.95 million hectares | 31.67 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
More environment data for Pakistan
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -10.53 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -7.64 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.373 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.58 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.7034 % 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 3.1 % 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 Pakistan?
- Land use in Pakistan was 31.00 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 Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 33.51 million hectares in 1982.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.21 million hectares in 1990.
- How does Pakistan rank for land use?
- Pakistan ranks 13th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Pakistan 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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