Land use in Thailand
Thailand: Land use was 21.58 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
21.58 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
17th
of 224 countries
All-time high
22.47 million hectares
in 2020
All-time low
11.39 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Thailand, 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 Thailand stood at 21.58 million hectares.
The figure is down 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Thailand peaked at 22.47 million hectares in 2020 and was at its lowest, 11.39 million hectares, in 1961.
That places Thailand 17th out of 224 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Thailand, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 11.39 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 11.70 million hectares | +2.7% |
| 1963 | 12.16 million hectares | +3.9% |
| 1964 | 12.37 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1965 | 12.60 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1966 | 12.85 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 1967 | 13.08 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1968 | 13.30 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1969 | 13.50 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 1970 | 13.81 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1971 | 13.94 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 14.75 million hectares | +5.8% |
| 1973 | 15.58 million hectares | +5.6% |
| 1974 | 16.36 million hectares | +5.0% |
| 1975 | 16.68 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1976 | 16.99 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 17.39 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1978 | 17.78 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 1979 | 18.08 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 18.30 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 18.68 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 19.10 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 19.20 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 19.33 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 19.85 million hectares | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 20.04 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 20.49 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 20.57 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 20.57 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1990 | 20.60 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 20.73 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 20.57 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 20.45 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 20.54 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 20.63 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 20.72 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 20.82 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 20.91 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 21.00 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 21.09 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 21.19 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 21.28 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 21.37 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 21.47 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 21.56 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 21.65 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 21.75 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 21.84 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 21.93 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 22.02 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 22.03 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 22.03 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 22.04 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 22.04 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 22.05 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 22.04 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 22.05 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 22.05 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 22.05 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 22.47 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 21.89 million hectares | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 21.58 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 21.58 million hectares | +0.0% |
Thailand compared with similar countries
- Thailand's 21.58 million hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.58 million hectares, 13.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Thailand's 21.58 million hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 141,800 hectares, 152.2× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 12.55 million hectares | 11.39 million hectares | 13.50 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 16.14 million hectares | 13.81 million hectares | 18.08 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 19.61 million hectares | 18.30 million hectares | 20.57 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.70 million hectares | 20.45 million hectares | 21.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.51 million hectares | 21.09 million hectares | 21.93 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.04 million hectares | 22.02 million hectares | 22.05 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.88 million hectares | 21.58 million hectares | 22.47 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
More environment data for Thailand
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 1.44 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 1.54 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.306 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.01 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.85 % 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 0.1009 % 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 Thailand?
- Land use in Thailand was 21.58 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 Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 22.47 million hectares in 2020.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.39 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Thailand rank for land use?
- Thailand ranks 17th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Thailand 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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