Land use in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Land use was 2.57 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
2.57 million hectares
Change on year
up 8.2%
World rank
80th
of 224 countries
All-time high
2.57 million hectares
in 2023
All-time low
1.52 million hectares
in 1962
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Sri Lanka, 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 Sri Lanka is 2.57 million hectares, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 8.2% on the previous year and up 11.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Sri Lanka peaked at 2.57 million hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.52 million hectares, in 1962.
Sri Lanka ranks 80th 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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.54 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 1.52 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1963 | 1.88 million hectares | +23.2% |
| 1964 | 1.87 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1965 | 1.88 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 1.88 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 1.88 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 1.88 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 1.89 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 1.89 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 1.91 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 1.91 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 1.92 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 1.92 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 1.96 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1977 | 1.99 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1978 | 2.03 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 1.92 million hectares | -5.4% |
| 1980 | 1.91 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 1.91 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1.86 million hectares | -2.8% |
| 1983 | 1.87 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 1.87 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 1.88 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 1.89 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 1.90 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 1.90 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 1.91 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 1.88 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 1.88 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 1.89 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 1.89 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 1.89 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 1.89 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 1.91 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 1.91 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 1.91 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 1.92 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 1.95 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 1.85 million hectares | -5.0% |
| 2005 | 2.05 million hectares | +11.0% |
| 2006 | 1.99 million hectares | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 1.94 million hectares | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 2.16 million hectares | +11.1% |
| 2009 | 2.17 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 2.18 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 2.29 million hectares | +5.0% |
| 2012 | 2.30 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 2.30 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 2.30 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 2.30 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 2.31 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 2.32 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 2.37 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 2.37 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 2.37 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 2.37 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 2.37 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 2.57 million hectares | +8.2% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 2.57 million hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.58 million hectares, 1.6× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 2.57 million hectares is above the median for South Asia, which is 2.26 million hectares, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.80 million hectares | 1.52 million hectares | 1.89 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.94 million hectares | 1.89 million hectares | 2.03 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.89 million hectares | 1.86 million hectares | 1.91 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.89 million hectares | 1.88 million hectares | 1.91 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.98 million hectares | 1.85 million hectares | 2.17 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.30 million hectares | 2.18 million hectares | 2.37 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.42 million hectares | 2.37 million hectares | 2.57 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 77 Guatemala 2.74 million hectares compare
- 78 Central African Republic 2.68 million hectares compare
- 79 South Sudan 2.57 million hectares compare
- 81 Czechia 2.57 million hectares compare
- 82 North Korea 2.55 million hectares compare
- 83 Sweden 2.53 million hectares compare
More environment data for Sri Lanka
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.24 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 5.49 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.207 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.849 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 5.63 % 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 1.22 % 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 Sri Lanka?
- Land use in Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 2.57 million hectares in 2023.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.52 million hectares in 1962.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for land use?
- Sri Lanka ranks 80th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.
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