Land use in Palestine
Palestine: Land use was 113,200 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
113,200 hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
157th
of 224 countries
All-time high
226,000 hectares
in 1984
All-time low
97,900 hectares
in 2010
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Palestine, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Palestine recorded 113,200 hectares for land use in 2023.
The figure is down 17.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Palestine peaked at 226,000 hectares in 1984 and was at its lowest, 97,900 hectares, in 2010.
Palestine ranks 157th of 224 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Palestine, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 202,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 202,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 202,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 202,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 202,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 203,000 hectares | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 205,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1968 | 205,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 205,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 207,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1971 | 207,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 207,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 208,000 hectares | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 209,000 hectares | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 209,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 212,000 hectares | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 214,000 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 216,000 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 216,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 217,000 hectares | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 221,000 hectares | +1.8% |
| 1982 | 223,000 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 225,000 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1984 | 226,000 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 225,000 hectares | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 225,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 225,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 225,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 226,000 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 224,000 hectares | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 222,000 hectares | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 220,000 hectares | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 220,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 189,830 hectares | -13.7% |
| 1995 | 197,933 hectares | +4.3% |
| 1996 | 192,980 hectares | -2.5% |
| 1997 | 191,533 hectares | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 193,098 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 170,600 hectares | -11.7% |
| 2000 | 191,213 hectares | +12.1% |
| 2001 | 187,909 hectares | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 191,783 hectares | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 188,497 hectares | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 188,898 hectares | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 190,216 hectares | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 189,440 hectares | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 190,329 hectares | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 192,156 hectares | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 152,750 hectares | -20.5% |
| 2010 | 97,900 hectares | -35.9% |
| 2011 | 110,236 hectares | +12.6% |
| 2012 | 123,643 hectares | +12.2% |
| 2013 | 137,429 hectares | +11.1% |
| 2014 | 143,456 hectares | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 153,402 hectares | +6.9% |
| 2016 | 157,418 hectares | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 152,754 hectares | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 151,791 hectares | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 148,327 hectares | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 130,864 hectares | -11.8% |
| 2021 | 113,200 hectares | -13.5% |
| 2022 | 113,200 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 113,200 hectares | +0.0% |
Palestine compared with similar countries
- Palestine's 113,200 hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.82 million hectares, 4% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Palestine's 113,200 hectares is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.45 million hectares, 8% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Land use in Palestine changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | -35.9% | 152,750 hectares | 97,900 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 203,111 hectares | 202,000 hectares | 205,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 210,500 hectares | 207,000 hectares | 216,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 223,800 hectares | 217,000 hectares | 226,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 202,197 hectares | 170,600 hectares | 224,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 186,319 hectares | 152,750 hectares | 192,156 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 137,636 hectares | 97,900 hectares | 157,418 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 117,616 hectares | 113,200 hectares | 130,864 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Palestine
- 154 Iceland 121,000 hectares compare
- 155 Comoros 118,000 hectares compare
- 156 Bhutan 114,000 hectares compare
- 158 Solomon Islands 101,200 hectares compare
- 159 Equatorial Guinea 99,800 hectares compare
- 160 United Arab Emirates 91,704 hectares compare
More environment data for Palestine
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -16.31 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -15.86 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.477 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.7 °C (2025)
- Aquaculture production (metric tons), annual growth rate -94.93 % change on previous year (2024)
- Aquaculture production (metric tons), per unit of GDP 0 metric tons per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Aquaculture production (metric tons), per capita 0 metric tons per person (2024)
- Capture fisheries production (metric tons), annual growth rate -92.33 % change on previous year (2024)
- Capture fisheries production (metric tons), per unit of GDP 0 metric tons per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Palestine?
- Land use in Palestine was 113,200 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 Palestine?
- The highest recorded value was 226,000 hectares in 1984.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Palestine?
- The lowest recorded value was 97,900 hectares in 2010.
- How does Palestine rank for land use?
- Palestine ranks 157th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Palestine?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Palestine 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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