Land use in South Sudan
South Sudan: Land use was 2.57 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Land use in South Sudan, 2012–2023
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 South Sudan stood at 2.57 million hectares.
The figure is up 3.8% on the previous year and down 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in South Sudan peaked at 2.72 million hectares in 2012 and was at its lowest, 2.48 million hectares, in 2018.
South Sudan ranks 79th of 224 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Land use in South Sudan, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 2.72 million hectares | — |
| 2013 | 2.69 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 2.65 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 2.62 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 2.58 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 2.55 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 2.48 million hectares | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 2.48 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 2.48 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 2.48 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 2.48 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 2.57 million hectares | +3.8% |
South Sudan compared with similar countries
- South Sudan's 2.57 million hectares is below the median for low income countries, which is 3.60 million hectares, 72% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- South Sudan's 2.57 million hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.21 million hectares, 80% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 2.60 million hectares | 2.48 million hectares | 2.72 million hectares | 8 |
| 2020s | 2.50 million hectares | 2.48 million hectares | 2.57 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Sudan
More environment data for South Sudan
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -18.33 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -17.71 Percentage change (2025)
- Temperature change 1.92 °C (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.283 °C (2025)
- Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Share of GDP US$ 1.67 % (2024)
- Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Annual growth US$ -9.78 % (2024)
- Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Annual growth US$ 70.33 % (2024)
- Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Annual growth -9.78 % (2024)
- Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Annual growth 10.41 % (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in South Sudan?
- Land use in South Sudan was 2.57 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 Sudan?
- The highest recorded value was 2.72 million hectares in 2012.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in South Sudan?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.48 million hectares in 2018.
- How does South Sudan rank for land use?
- South Sudan ranks 79th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in South Sudan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Sudan 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 — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).