Land use in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: Land use was 66,200 hectares in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
66,200 hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
162nd
of 224 countries
All-time high
304,000 hectares
in 1961
All-time low
66,200 hectares
in 2018
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Puerto Rico, 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 Puerto Rico stood at 66,200 hectares. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 18.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Puerto Rico peaked at 304,000 hectares in 1961 and was at its lowest, 66,200 hectares, in 2018.
That places Puerto Rico 162nd out of 224 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Land use in Puerto Rico, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 304,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 293,000 hectares | -3.6% |
| 1963 | 293,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 271,000 hectares | -7.5% |
| 1965 | 295,000 hectares | +8.9% |
| 1966 | 267,000 hectares | -9.5% |
| 1967 | 250,000 hectares | -6.4% |
| 1968 | 244,000 hectares | -2.4% |
| 1969 | 236,000 hectares | -3.3% |
| 1970 | 222,000 hectares | -5.9% |
| 1971 | 200,000 hectares | -9.9% |
| 1972 | 185,000 hectares | -7.5% |
| 1973 | 160,000 hectares | -13.5% |
| 1974 | 160,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 159,000 hectares | -0.6% |
| 1976 | 159,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 161,000 hectares | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 163,000 hectares | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 162,000 hectares | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 139,000 hectares | -14.2% |
| 1981 | 133,000 hectares | -4.3% |
| 1982 | 132,000 hectares | -0.8% |
| 1983 | 129,000 hectares | -2.3% |
| 1984 | 131,000 hectares | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 128,000 hectares | -2.3% |
| 1986 | 129,000 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 128,000 hectares | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 128,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 120,000 hectares | -6.2% |
| 1990 | 115,000 hectares | -4.2% |
| 1991 | 105,000 hectares | -8.7% |
| 1992 | 99,000 hectares | -5.7% |
| 1993 | 79,000 hectares | -20.2% |
| 1994 | 77,000 hectares | -2.5% |
| 1995 | 77,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 77,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 81,000 hectares | +5.2% |
| 1998 | 95,500 hectares | +17.9% |
| 1999 | 98,600 hectares | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 101,700 hectares | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 104,900 hectares | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 108,000 hectares | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 101,200 hectares | -6.3% |
| 2004 | 94,400 hectares | -6.7% |
| 2005 | 87,600 hectares | -7.2% |
| 2006 | 80,800 hectares | -7.8% |
| 2007 | 73,900 hectares | -8.5% |
| 2008 | 76,000 hectares | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 78,100 hectares | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 80,200 hectares | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 82,300 hectares | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 84,100 hectares | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 81,200 hectares | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 78,300 hectares | -3.6% |
| 2015 | 75,400 hectares | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 72,500 hectares | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 69,600 hectares | -4.0% |
| 2018 | 66,200 hectares | -4.9% |
| 2019 | 66,200 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 66,200 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 66,200 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 66,200 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 66,200 hectares | +0.0% |
Puerto Rico compared with similar countries
- Puerto Rico's 66,200 hectares is below the median for high income countries, which is 303,040 hectares, 22% of the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Puerto Rico's 66,200 hectares is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 544,348 hectares, 12% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 272,556 hectares | 236,000 hectares | 304,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 173,100 hectares | 159,000 hectares | 222,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 129,700 hectares | 120,000 hectares | 139,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 90,410 hectares | 77,000 hectares | 115,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 90,660 hectares | 73,900 hectares | 108,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 75,600 hectares | 66,200 hectares | 84,100 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 66,200 hectares | 66,200 hectares | 66,200 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Puerto Rico
- 159 Equatorial Guinea 99,800 hectares compare
- 160 United Arab Emirates 91,704 hectares compare
- 161 Mauritius 78,957 hectares compare
- 163 Luxembourg 62,878 hectares compare
- 164 Suriname 55,432 hectares compare
- 165 Cape Verde 54,000 hectares compare
More environment data for Puerto Rico
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -0.4091 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -0.5906 Percentage change (2025)
- Temperature change 1.16 °C (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.268 °C (2025)
- Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Value US$ 864.98 million USD (2024)
- Land area equipped for irrigation — Area 22.04 1000 ha (2024)
- Land area equipped for irrigation — Share in Cropland 30.48 % (2024)
- Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Value Standard 864.98 million SLC (2024)
- Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Share of GDP US$ 0.6901 % (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Puerto Rico?
- Land use in Puerto Rico was 66,200 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 Puerto Rico?
- The highest recorded value was 304,000 hectares in 1961.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The lowest recorded value was 66,200 hectares in 2018.
- How does Puerto Rico rank for land use?
- Puerto Rico ranks 162nd out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Puerto Rico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Puerto Rico 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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