Land use in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Land use was 6.09 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
6.09 million hectares
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
48th
of 224 countries
All-time high
7.47 million hectares
in 1964
All-time low
5.70 million hectares
in 2001
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in United Kingdom, 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 Kingdom recorded 6.09 million hectares for land use in 2023.
The figure is down 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in United Kingdom peaked at 7.47 million hectares in 1964 and was at its lowest, 5.70 million hectares, in 2001.
United Kingdom ranks 48th 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 United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 7.29 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 7.35 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 7.40 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 7.47 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 7.45 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 7.43 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 7.42 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 7.38 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 7.26 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1970 | 7.20 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1971 | 7.23 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 7.22 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 7.16 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1974 | 7.15 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 6.95 million hectares | -2.8% |
| 1976 | 6.97 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 7.00 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 7.01 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 6.91 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 1980 | 7.00 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 6.98 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 6.99 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 6.97 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 6.99 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 7.06 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 7.01 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1987 | 7.00 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 6.95 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 6.77 million hectares | -2.6% |
| 1990 | 6.69 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1991 | 6.63 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 6.62 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 6.15 million hectares | -7.0% |
| 1994 | 5.97 million hectares | -2.9% |
| 1995 | 5.99 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 6.15 million hectares | +2.7% |
| 1997 | 6.42 million hectares | +4.4% |
| 1998 | 6.31 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 5.97 million hectares | -5.4% |
| 2000 | 5.93 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 5.70 million hectares | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 5.84 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 5.71 million hectares | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 5.87 million hectares | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 5.78 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 6.14 million hectares | +6.3% |
| 2007 | 6.13 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 6.05 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 6.09 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 6.02 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 6.11 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 6.26 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 6.31 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 6.28 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 6.06 million hectares | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 6.07 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 6.13 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 6.08 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 6.13 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 6.02 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 6.06 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 6.08 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 6.09 million hectares | +0.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 6.09 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 303,040 hectares, 20.1× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 6.09 million hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.39 million hectares, 4.4× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.38 million hectares | 7.26 million hectares | 7.47 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 7.08 million hectares | 6.91 million hectares | 7.23 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.97 million hectares | 6.77 million hectares | 7.06 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.29 million hectares | 5.97 million hectares | 6.69 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.92 million hectares | 5.70 million hectares | 6.14 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.14 million hectares | 6.02 million hectares | 6.31 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.06 million hectares | 6.02 million hectares | 6.09 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More environment data for United Kingdom
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -3.13 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -7.25 Percentage change (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -3.47 % 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 -0.8735 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual -1.29 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in United Kingdom?
- Land use in United Kingdom was 6.09 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 7.47 million hectares in 1964.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.70 million hectares in 2001.
- How does United Kingdom rank for land use?
- United Kingdom ranks 48th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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).