What is the highest agricultural land recorded in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?

The highest recorded value was 8.01 million sq. km in 2023.

What is the lowest agricultural land recorded in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?

The lowest recorded value was 5.18 million sq. km in 1961.

Is agricultural land rising or falling in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?

Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Agricultural land in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)

Name: Agricultural land in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)
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)

Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC): Agricultural land was 8.01 million sq. km in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)

8.01 million sq. km

Change on year

up 0.1%

All-time high

8.01 million sq. km

in 2023

All-time low

5.18 million sq. km

in 1961

Years of data

1961–2023

Agricultural land in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC), 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

In 2023, agricultural land in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) stood at 8.01 million sq. km. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, agricultural land in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) peaked at 8.01 million sq. km in 2023 and was at its lowest, 5.18 million sq. km, in 1961.

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

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	5.21 million sq. km	5.18 million sq. km	5.25 million sq. km	9
1970s	5.30 million sq. km	5.25 million sq. km	5.35 million sq. km	10
1980s	5.42 million sq. km	5.36 million sq. km	5.48 million sq. km	10
1990s	5.89 million sq. km	5.50 million sq. km	6.13 million sq. km	10
2000s	6.30 million sq. km	6.16 million sq. km	6.46 million sq. km	10
2010s	7.57 million sq. km	6.51 million sq. km	7.94 million sq. km	10
2020s	7.99 million sq. km	7.96 million sq. km	8.01 million sq. km	4

More agriculture & rural data for Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)

Agricultural raw materials exports 4.8% (2023)
Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2023)
Rural population 61.7% (2025)
Rural population growth 1.8% (2025)
Rural population 595.18 million (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 21.2% (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 272.81 billion current US$ (2025)
Land under cereal production 67.97 million hectares (2024)
Cereal yield 1,326 kg per hectare (2024)
Cereal production 90.14 million metric tons (2024)

All data for Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) →

Frequently asked questions

What is agricultural land in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?: Agricultural land in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) was 8.01 million 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 Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?: The highest recorded value was 8.01 million sq. km in 2023.
What is the lowest agricultural land recorded in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?: The lowest recorded value was 5.18 million sq. km in 1961.
Is agricultural land rising or falling in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?: Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) 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.