Land use in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Land use was 91,704 hectares in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Land use in United Arab Emirates, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
United Arab Emirates recorded 91,704 hectares for land use in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in United Arab Emirates peaked at 266,000 hectares in 2002 and was at its lowest, 8,000 hectares, in 1961.
That places United Arab Emirates 159th out of 223 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 9,000 hectares | 8,000 hectares | 10,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 14,800 hectares | 12,000 hectares | 19,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 33,000 hectares | 23,000 hectares | 39,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 92,000 hectares | 55,000 hectares | 216,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 233,870 hectares | 87,900 hectares | 266,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 84,195 hectares | 76,700 hectares | 92,300 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 91,157 hectares | 89,800 hectares | 91,704 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
- 156 Palestine 113,200 hectares compare
- 157 Solomon Islands 101,200 hectares compare
- 158 Equatorial Guinea 99,800 hectares compare
- 160 Mauritius 78,957 hectares compare
- 161 Puerto Rico 66,200 hectares compare
More environment data for United Arab Emirates
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 264.15 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 24.04 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 1.63 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.0064 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 27.47 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0509 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 37.08 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.1113 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.1261 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 7.67 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in United Arab Emirates?
- Land use in United Arab Emirates was 91,704 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 United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 266,000 hectares in 2002.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 8,000 hectares in 1961.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for land use?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 159th out of 223 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates 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).