Land use in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: Land use was 66,200 hectares in 2023. ◆ Volatile
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 161st out of 223 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.
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
- 158 Equatorial Guinea 99,800 hectares compare
- 159 United Arab Emirates 91,704 hectares compare
- 160 Mauritius 78,957 hectares compare
- 163 Suriname 55,432 hectares compare
- 164 Cape Verde 54,000 hectares compare
More environment data for Puerto Rico
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 17.62 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 5.5 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 0.46 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.0026 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 0.0017 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0001 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 1.55 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0075 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0093 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 1.06 Mt CO2e (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 161st out of 223 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).