Arable land in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Arable land was 14.90 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Arable land in Democratic Republic of Congo, 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 hectares.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 14.90 million hectares for arable land in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 26.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 14.90 million hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, 6.36 million hectares, in 1965.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 22nd of 206 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.39 million hectares | 6.36 million hectares | 6.42 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 6.54 million hectares | 6.44 million hectares | 6.62 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.67 million hectares | 6.62 million hectares | 6.72 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.70 million hectares | 6.67 million hectares | 6.70 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.83 million hectares | 6.70 million hectares | 7.93 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.05 million hectares | 9.11 million hectares | 13.68 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.20 million hectares | 13.68 million hectares | 14.90 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More agriculture & rural data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2023)
- Rural population 54.9% (2025)
- Rural population growth 2.5% (2025)
- Rural population 61.93 million (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 8.9% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 8.13 billion current US$ (2025)
- Land under cereal production 5.03 million hectares (2024)
- Cereal yield 871.8 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal production 4.39 million metric tons (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Arable land in Democratic Republic of Congo was 14.90 million hectares 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 arable land recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 14.90 million hectares in 2023.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.36 million hectares in 1965.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for arable land?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 22nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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 Arable land (hectares). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Arable land (in hectares) 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.