FAO · Agricultural Land
Agricultural land by country
How much of a country's land is farmed or grazed?
Of the 209 countries compared in 2023, Côte d’Ivoire had the highest reading, 86.476%, and Suriname had the lowest reading, 0.445%. In the middle country the figure was 37.958%. Among the 176 countries measured in every edition since 1961, the middle one moved from 31.918% to 36.834%.
Agricultural land · 2023
Context statistic
Highest of 209Côte d’Ivoire
86.476%012023 · position · derived
The highest and the lowest
The three countries with the highest values of 209 compared, the three with the lowest, and the highest on each continent. This statistic has no better end, so no country is shown as leading.
- 1
- 2
- 3
Highest on each continent
- AfricaCôte d’Ivoire86.476%
- Americas
Uruguay81.354% - AsiaTurkmenistan84.222%
- Europe
Moldova74.097% - Oceania
Tuvalu60.000% - Every region
02Every measured country
Agricultural land on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value. This statistic has no better end, so the shades describe size, not success.
- 0.445–13.961%
- 14.401–29.630%
- 29.891–43.798%
- 44.257–58.440%
- 58.593–86.476%
- No reading in 2023 (1 measured in an earlier edition)
- Africa
46.388%
the middle country, of 54 measured · 55 members
Côte d’Ivoire86.476%
Seychelles3.370%Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Europe
42.507%
the middle country, of 44 measured · 49 members
Moldova74.097%
Norway2.696%Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Asia
29.126%
the middle country, of 49 measured · 52 members
Turkmenistan84.222%
Singapore0.919%Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Americas
23.529%
the middle country, of 43 measured · 48 members
Uruguay81.354%
Suriname0.445%Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Oceania
17.055%
the middle country, of 19 measured · 21 members
Tuvalu60.000%
Northern Mariana Islands1.174%Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Every region
22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Southern Africa
69.477%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
South Africa79.418%
Botswana45.634%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Central Asia
58.055%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Turkmenistan84.222%
Tajikistan27.947%Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Eastern Africa
57.720%
the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members
Burundi83.887%Seychelles3.370%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Western Africa
51.401%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Côte d’Ivoire86.476%
Cabo Verde19.603%Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Eastern Europe
46.845%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Moldova74.097%
Russia13.171%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Southern Asia
46.693%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Bangladesh72.311%
Bhutan13.818%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Western Europe
45.923%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 9 members
Netherlands53.549%
Austria31.474%Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Southern Europe
39.104%
the middle country, of 14 measured · 17 members
North Macedonia49.603%
Montenegro19.593%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Northern Africa
38.836%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Morocco66.745%
Egypt4.077%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Northern Europe
38.784%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 13 members
United Kingdom70.307%Norway2.696%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Central America
37.725%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
El Salvador57.708%
Belize7.979%Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Western Asia
29.467%
the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members
Saudi Arabia80.773%
Oman4.755%Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- South America
26.351%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Uruguay81.354%Suriname0.445%Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- South-eastern Asia
26.087%
the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members
Thailand43.798%Singapore0.919%Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Middle Africa
20.937%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
São Tomé and Príncipe44.792%
Equatorial Guinea3.733%Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Caribbean
20.455%
the middle country, of 19 measured · 24 members
Haiti65.131%
Turks and Caicos Islands1.053%Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Micronesia
20.000%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 7 members
Kiribati41.975%Northern Mariana Islands1.174%Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Eastern Asia
18.810%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 8 members
Mongolia68.956%
Hong Kong3.810%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Polynesia
17.565%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 7 members
Tuvalu60.000%
French Polynesia8.662%Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
- Melanesia
10.067%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Fiji17.055%
Papua New Guinea3.103%Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia47.223%
New Zealand36.880%Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Northern America
4 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Bermuda, Canada, Greenland, United States.
United States46.083%
Greenland0.592%Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
03The whole field at once
The spread
209 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 37.958%; a quarter are above 54.009%, and a quarter below 17.949%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 210 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. Neither end is better. A high figure can be fertile plains or cleared forest; a low one can be desert or dense woodland. The ordering here is a size order rather than a league table, and the indicator carries no good-or-bad colouring on the site.
Showing 25 of 210 countries
Values for 2023. The change column compares 2023 with 2022 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051961–2023 · 63 reference years
Over time
Each point is one reference year from 1961.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 176 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 209 | 37.958% | 17.949% – 54.009% | 36.834% |
| 2022 | 209 | 38.333% | 18.566% – 54.107% | 36.982% |
| 2021 | 210 | 38.622% | 18.675% – 53.147% | 37.390% |
| 2020 | 210 | 38.726% | 18.685% – 52.773% | 37.408% |
| 2019 | 210 | 39.047% | 18.585% – 53.505% | 37.445% |
| 2018 | 210 | 38.812% | 18.878% – 53.319% | 37.483% |
| 2017 | 210 | 38.678% | 18.973% – 52.990% | 36.747% |
| 2016 | 210 | 38.684% | 18.815% – 53.108% | 36.691% |
| 2015 | 210 | 38.534% | 18.720% – 53.273% | 36.426% |
| 2014 | 210 | 38.534% | 18.137% – 53.315% | 35.369% |
| 2013 | 210 | 38.556% | 18.290% – 54.390% | 35.287% |
| 2012 | 210 | 38.469% | 18.705% – 53.776% | 35.190% |
| 2011 | 208 | 37.872% | 18.039% – 54.053% | 35.058% |
| 2010 | 208 | 38.188% | 18.168% – 54.464% | 34.828% |
| 2009 | 208 | 38.279% | 18.036% – 53.910% | 35.491% |
| 2008 | 208 | 38.275% | 18.359% – 53.379% | 35.301% |
| 2007 | 208 | 38.232% | 18.285% – 54.346% | 35.335% |
| 2006 | 208 | 38.409% | 18.248% – 54.497% | 35.482% |
| 2005 | 206 | 38.220% | 18.124% – 54.290% | 35.428% |
| 2004 | 206 | 38.043% | 18.180% – 53.190% | 36.579% |
| 2003 | 206 | 38.608% | 18.247% – 54.306% | 37.598% |
| 2002 | 206 | 38.568% | 17.975% – 54.909% | 37.500% |
| 2001 | 206 | 38.366% | 18.482% – 55.306% | 37.495% |
| 2000 | 206 | 38.568% | 18.172% – 55.369% | 37.256% |
| 1999 | 204 | 38.366% | 18.603% – 55.812% | 37.216% |
| 1998 | 204 | 38.003% | 18.652% – 55.705% | 37.011% |
| 1997 | 204 | 38.149% | 18.682% – 55.612% | 36.778% |
| 1996 | 204 | 38.096% | 18.697% – 55.533% | 36.759% |
| 1995 | 204 | 38.469% | 18.712% – 55.465% | 36.990% |
| 1994 | 204 | 38.457% | 18.720% – 55.499% | 36.916% |
| 1993 | 204 | 38.472% | 18.808% – 55.231% | 36.733% |
| 1992 | 200 | 38.455% | 18.177% – 54.660% | 37.071% |
| 1991 | 181 | 36.802% | 16.667% – 54.607% | 36.816% |
| 1990 | 177 | 37.037% | 17.381% – 55.672% | 36.841% |
| 1989 | 177 | 37.037% | 17.468% – 55.753% | 37.003% |
| 1988 | 177 | 37.037% | 17.354% – 55.699% | 36.989% |
| 1987 | 177 | 36.694% | 17.176% – 56.126% | 36.410% |
| 1986 | 177 | 36.680% | 16.998% – 56.126% | 36.403% |
| 1985 | 177 | 36.590% | 16.667% – 56.158% | 36.358% |
| 1984 | 177 | 36.555% | 16.631% – 56.158% | 36.422% |
| 1983 | 177 | 36.353% | 16.493% – 55.801% | 36.253% |
| 1982 | 177 | 36.142% | 16.641% – 55.524% | 36.081% |
| 1981 | 177 | 37.037% | 16.446% – 55.289% | 36.457% |
| 1980 | 177 | 35.907% | 16.667% – 55.279% | 35.770% |
| 1979 | 177 | 36.607% | 16.667% – 54.791% | 36.268% |
| 1978 | 177 | 35.969% | 16.667% – 55.060% | 35.962% |
| 1977 | 177 | 35.973% | 16.667% – 54.218% | 35.569% |
| 1976 | 177 | 35.991% | 16.667% – 54.512% | 35.169% |
| 1975 | 177 | 36.170% | 16.609% – 53.825% | 34.938% |
| 1974 | 177 | 36.188% | 16.253% – 53.333% | 34.617% |
| 1973 | 177 | 37.116% | 16.418% – 54.051% | 36.660% |
| 1972 | 177 | 36.957% | 16.476% – 53.333% | 36.590% |
| 1971 | 177 | 36.932% | 16.342% – 53.191% | 36.587% |
| 1970 | 177 | 36.349% | 16.667% – 54.325% | 36.305% |
| 1969 | 177 | 36.277% | 16.667% – 54.434% | 35.667% |
| 1968 | 177 | 36.264% | 16.667% – 54.680% | 34.936% |
| 1967 | 177 | 35.959% | 16.649% – 53.333% | 34.464% |
| 1966 | 177 | 35.162% | 16.501% – 53.333% | 34.065% |
| 1965 | 177 | 34.380% | 16.374% – 53.086% | 33.674% |
| 1964 | 177 | 33.535% | 16.247% – 53.086% | 33.252% |
| 1963 | 177 | 32.950% | 16.120% – 53.086% | 32.900% |
| 1962 | 177 | 32.950% | 16.020% – 52.830% | 31.919% |
| 1961 | 177 | 32.950% | 15.959% – 52.359% | 31.918% |
062022 → 2023
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Rose most
before → after
Sri Lanka45.457% → 48.608% · 78th → 66th+3.151
Lesotho74.947% → 77.758% · 11th → 8th+2.811- Côte d’Ivoire84.157% → 86.476% · 2nd → 1st+2.319
Poland46.313% → 47.605% · 72nd → 67th+1.292
Guinea71.949% → 73.229% · 16th → 14th+1.280
209 countries were measured in both 2022 and 2023.
07Across every edition
Agricultural land in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
93.441%
Agricultural land (% of land area)
Lowest reading on record
0.255%
Agricultural land (% of land area)
Biggest rise between editions
+21.667
16.667% → 38.333%
Biggest fall between editions
−22.383
44.199% → 21.816%
Biggest change since first measured
+40.688
40.085% → 80.773%
Highest most often
47 of 63
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About agricultural land
Agricultural land is cropland and permanent pasture together, as a share of a country’s land area. Read with forest area, it is half of a country’s land budget — what is farmed against what is left standing.
What the number is: Agricultural land (% of land area).
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Environment & Sustainability and Food & Agriculture, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Environment & SustainabilityFood & AgricultureWhich statistics vote, and why
Moves with
Where agricultural land is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Arable Land per PersonFAO · 206 countries in commonρ 0.41
Moves against
Where agricultural land is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Forest AreaFAO · 208 countries in commonρ −0.42
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 190 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
The countries at either end
11Questions
Agricultural land: questions and answers
Which country has the highest agricultural land?
Côte d’Ivoire, at 86.476%, among the 209 countries compared in 2023.
Which country has the lowest agricultural land?
Suriname, at 0.445%, among the 209 countries compared in 2023.
How many countries does the Agricultural Land cover?
209 in 2023, and 210 at least once across all editions. The number measured varies from 177 to 210 between editions.
What is the world average agricultural land?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 209 compared in 2023, the figure was 37.958%.
Is this Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s own ranking?
No. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Agricultural Land published?
This site holds 63 reference years, 1961–2023, all recalculated in Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s 2026 report on one method — not 63 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), under CC BY 4.0. From FAOSTAT via the World Bank’s indicator API (AG.LND.AGRI.ZS). Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Agricultural Land — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
From FAOSTAT via the World Bank’s indicator API (AG.LND.AGRI.ZS).
Newest edition
Report year 2023Data year 2023
Cite the source as: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. FAOSTAT. Rome: FAO.
Licence: CC BY 4.0, checked 2026-09-06.
How this page reads the numbers
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- This statistic has no better end, so the page describes higher and lower values and never calls a country a leader.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Agricultural land by country: Agricultural Land, data from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/agricultural-land