Land use in Spain
Spain: Land use was 16.61 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
16.61 million hectares
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
24th
of 224 countries
All-time high
21.18 million hectares
in 1971
All-time low
16.61 million hectares
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Spain, 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 Spain stood at 16.61 million hectares. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Spain peaked at 21.18 million hectares in 1971 and was at its lowest, 16.61 million hectares, in 2023.
Spain ranks 24th of 224 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Spain, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 20.73 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 20.83 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1963 | 20.84 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 20.55 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 1965 | 20.59 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 20.16 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 1967 | 20.48 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1968 | 20.36 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1969 | 20.83 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1970 | 20.52 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 1971 | 21.18 million hectares | +3.2% |
| 1972 | 21.17 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 20.98 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 20.89 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 20.83 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 20.66 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1977 | 20.60 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 20.58 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 20.53 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 20.50 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 20.49 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 20.49 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 20.51 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 20.51 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 20.42 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 20.42 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 20.39 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 20.37 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 20.32 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 20.17 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 20.09 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 19.95 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 19.66 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 19.50 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 18.75 million hectares | -3.8% |
| 1996 | 19.14 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 19.06 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 18.52 million hectares | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 18.33 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 18.30 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 18.04 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 17.89 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 17.98 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 17.96 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 17.84 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 17.58 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 17.40 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 17.27 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 17.22 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 17.22 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 16.99 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 17.54 million hectares | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 17.13 million hectares | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 17.19 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 17.19 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 17.03 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 16.99 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 16.77 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 16.76 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 16.65 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 16.61 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 16.78 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 16.61 million hectares | -1.0% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 16.61 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 303,040 hectares, 54.8× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Spain's 16.61 million hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.39 million hectares, 12.0× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 20.60 million hectares | 20.16 million hectares | 20.84 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 20.79 million hectares | 20.52 million hectares | 21.18 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.44 million hectares | 20.32 million hectares | 20.51 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.32 million hectares | 18.33 million hectares | 20.17 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.75 million hectares | 17.22 million hectares | 18.30 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.08 million hectares | 16.76 million hectares | 17.54 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.66 million hectares | 16.61 million hectares | 16.78 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More environment data for Spain
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.67 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.4 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.402 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.3 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.4277 % 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 -0.5136 % 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 Spain?
- Land use in Spain was 16.61 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 21.18 million hectares in 1971.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.61 million hectares in 2023.
- How does Spain rank for land use?
- Spain ranks 24th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain 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
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