Agricultural land in Nigeria
Nigeria: Agricultural land was 693,982 sq. km in 2023. ▲ Rising
Agricultural land in Nigeria, 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
Nigeria recorded 693,982 sq. km for agricultural land in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land in Nigeria peaked at 693,982 sq. km in 2023 and was at its lowest, 541,760 sq. km, in 1961.
Nigeria ranks 14th of 210 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 545,988 sq. km | 541,760 sq. km | 549,550 sq. km | 9 |
| 1970s | 557,432 sq. km | 551,520 sq. km | 563,320 sq. km | 10 |
| 1980s | 572,997 sq. km | 565,410 sq. km | 581,010 sq. km | 10 |
| 1990s | 624,910 sq. km | 587,140 sq. km | 653,600 sq. km | 10 |
| 2000s | 660,351 sq. km | 655,080 sq. km | 667,688 sq. km | 10 |
| 2010s | 673,959 sq. km | 668,890 sq. km | 682,210 sq. km | 10 |
| 2020s | 690,474 sq. km | 686,895 sq. km | 693,982 sq. km | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
- Rural population 36.2% (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.1% (2025)
- Rural population 86.04 million (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 23.0% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 66.82 billion current US$ (2025)
- Land under cereal production 18.28 million hectares (2024)
- Cereal yield 1,558 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal production 28.47 million metric tons (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land in Nigeria?
- Agricultural land in Nigeria was 693,982 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 693,982 sq. km in 2023.
- What is the lowest agricultural land recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 541,760 sq. km in 1961.
- How does Nigeria rank for agricultural land?
- Nigeria ranks 14th out of 210 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria 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
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.