What is the highest agricultural land recorded in France?

The highest recorded value was 345,390 sq. km in 1961.

What is the lowest agricultural land recorded in France?

The lowest recorded value was 282,972 sq. km in 2023.

How does France rank for agricultural land?

France ranks 41st out of 210 countries with data for 2023.

Is agricultural land rising or falling in France?

Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Agricultural land in France

Name: Agricultural land in France
Creator: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

France: Agricultural land was 282,972 sq. km in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)

282,972 sq. km

Change on year

down 0.3%

World rank

41st

of 210 countries

All-time high

345,390 sq. km

in 1961

All-time low

282,972 sq. km

in 2023

Years of data

1961–2023

Agricultural land in France, 1961–2023

Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in sq. km.

Analysis

The most recent figure for agricultural land in France is 282,972 sq. km, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 1.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, agricultural land in France peaked at 345,390 sq. km in 1961 and was at its lowest, 282,972 sq. km, in 2023.

France ranks 41st of 210 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	339,188 sq. km	331,730 sq. km	345,390 sq. km	9
1970s	322,618 sq. km	318,340 sq. km	326,230 sq. km	10
1980s	313,889 sq. km	307,409 sq. km	317,220 sq. km	10
1990s	302,153 sq. km	299,291 sq. km	305,928 sq. km	10
2000s	294,164 sq. km	290,199 sq. km	298,074 sq. km	10
2010s	287,511 sq. km	285,188 sq. km	289,263 sq. km	10
2020s	283,824 sq. km	282,972 sq. km	284,252 sq. km	4

Countries ranked near France

38 Morocco 297,883 sq. km compare
39 Kenya 287,687 sq. km compare
40 South Sudan 283,472 sq. km compare
42 Cote d'Ivoire 274,993 sq. km compare
43 Botswana 258,620 sq. km compare
44 Uzbekistan 255,820 sq. km compare

See the full ranking of 257 places →

More agriculture & rural data for France

Agricultural raw materials exports 1.0% (2024)
Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2024)
Rural population 21.2% (2025)
Rural population growth 0.0% (2025)
Rural population 14.54 million (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.4% (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 47.24 billion current US$ (2025)
Land under cereal production 8.53 million hectares (2024)
Cereal yield 6,281 kg per hectare (2024)
Cereal production 53.55 million metric tons (2024)

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is agricultural land in France?: Agricultural land in France was 282,972 sq. km in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
What is the highest agricultural land recorded in France?: The highest recorded value was 345,390 sq. km in 1961.
What is the lowest agricultural land recorded in France?: The lowest recorded value was 282,972 sq. km in 2023.
How does France rank for agricultural land?: France ranks 41st out of 210 countries with data for 2023.
Is agricultural land rising or falling in France?: Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this France data come from?: The figures come from FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Agricultural land (sq. km). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator: Agricultural land (sq. km)
Unit: sq. km
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 257 places, 15,984 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

Agricultural land refers to the land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded. Land under permanent crops is land cultivated with crops that occupy the land for long periods and need not be replanted after each harvest, such as cocoa, coffee, and rubber. This category includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, but excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber. Permanent pasture is land used for five or more years for forage, including natural and cultivated crops.