Land use in South Africa
South Africa: Land use was 12.41 million hectares in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
12.41 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
27th
of 223 countries
All-time high
14.20 million hectares
in 2000
All-time low
12.19 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in South Africa, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 12.41 million hectares for land use in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in South Africa peaked at 14.20 million hectares in 2000 and was at its lowest, 12.19 million hectares, in 1961.
That places South Africa 27th out of 223 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 12.37 million hectares | 12.19 million hectares | 12.49 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 12.56 million hectares | 12.49 million hectares | 12.63 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.75 million hectares | 12.63 million hectares | 13.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.73 million hectares | 13.10 million hectares | 14.13 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.58 million hectares | 12.96 million hectares | 14.20 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.47 million hectares | 12.41 million hectares | 12.96 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.41 million hectares | 12.41 million hectares | 12.41 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More environment data for South Africa
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 569.81 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 8.9 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 25.85 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 1.31 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 40 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.1686 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 93.23 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.055 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.1946 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 25.44 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in South Africa?
- Land use in South Africa was 12.41 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 14.20 million hectares in 2000.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.19 million hectares in 1961.
- How does South Africa rank for land use?
- South Africa ranks 27th out of 223 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Africa 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).