Land use in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Land use was 3.64 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
3.64 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
69th
of 224 countries
All-time high
3.81 million hectares
in 1999
All-time low
1.17 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Saudi Arabia, 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 Saudi Arabia is 3.64 million hectares, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Saudi Arabia peaked at 3.81 million hectares in 1999 and was at its lowest, 1.17 million hectares, in 1961.
Saudi Arabia ranks 69th of 224 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.17 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 1.19 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1963 | 1.21 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1964 | 1.24 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 1965 | 1.26 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1966 | 1.28 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1967 | 1.30 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1968 | 1.34 million hectares | +2.8% |
| 1969 | 1.38 million hectares | +2.6% |
| 1970 | 1.42 million hectares | +3.3% |
| 1971 | 1.47 million hectares | +3.3% |
| 1972 | 1.52 million hectares | +3.4% |
| 1973 | 1.57 million hectares | +3.5% |
| 1974 | 1.64 million hectares | +4.5% |
| 1975 | 1.68 million hectares | +2.7% |
| 1976 | 1.75 million hectares | +3.9% |
| 1977 | 1.80 million hectares | +3.1% |
| 1978 | 1.86 million hectares | +2.9% |
| 1979 | 1.91 million hectares | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 1.96 million hectares | +2.8% |
| 1981 | 2.01 million hectares | +2.6% |
| 1982 | 2.07 million hectares | +2.7% |
| 1983 | 2.27 million hectares | +9.8% |
| 1984 | 2.42 million hectares | +6.7% |
| 1985 | 2.62 million hectares | +8.3% |
| 1986 | 2.78 million hectares | +5.9% |
| 1987 | 2.98 million hectares | +7.2% |
| 1988 | 3.13 million hectares | +5.0% |
| 1989 | 3.29 million hectares | +5.1% |
| 1990 | 3.48 million hectares | +5.8% |
| 1991 | 3.67 million hectares | +5.5% |
| 1992 | 3.75 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 3.79 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 3.78 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 3.78 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 3.78 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 3.78 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 3.77 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 3.81 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 3.80 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 3.79 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 3.78 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 3.78 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 3.78 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 3.78 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 3.78 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 3.77 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 3.77 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 3.76 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 3.74 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 3.73 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 3.72 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 3.71 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 3.62 million hectares | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 3.61 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 3.61 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 3.61 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 3.61 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 3.62 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 3.64 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 3.64 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 3.64 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 3.64 million hectares | +0.0% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 3.64 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 303,040 hectares, 12.0× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 3.64 million hectares is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.45 million hectares, 2.5× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.26 million hectares | 1.17 million hectares | 1.38 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.66 million hectares | 1.42 million hectares | 1.91 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.55 million hectares | 1.96 million hectares | 3.29 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.74 million hectares | 3.48 million hectares | 3.81 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.78 million hectares | 3.76 million hectares | 3.80 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.66 million hectares | 3.61 million hectares | 3.74 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.64 million hectares | 3.64 million hectares | 3.64 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More environment data for Saudi Arabia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -52.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -27.86 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.424 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.58 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.53 % 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 9.62 % 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 Saudi Arabia?
- Land use in Saudi Arabia was 3.64 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.81 million hectares in 1999.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.17 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for land use?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 69th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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).