Arable land in India
India: Arable land was 153.87 million hectares in 2023. ▬ Flat
Arable land in India, 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
In 2023, arable land in India stood at 153.87 million hectares. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in India peaked at 163.62 million hectares in 1984 and was at its lowest, 153.87 million hectares, in 2023.
That places India 1st out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 158.26 million hectares | 155.81 million hectares | 160.07 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 161.57 million hectares | 159.76 million hectares | 163.44 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 163.19 million hectares | 162.73 million hectares | 163.62 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 162.14 million hectares | 160.97 million hectares | 163.46 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 159.32 million hectares | 157.92 million hectares | 160.93 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 156.29 million hectares | 155.37 million hectares | 157.01 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 154.12 million hectares | 153.87 million hectares | 154.42 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More agriculture & rural data for India
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.5% (2024)
- Rural population 64.3% (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Rural population 941.42 million (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 16.2% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 642.24 billion current US$ (2025)
- Land under cereal production 107.67 million hectares (2024)
- Cereal yield 3,632 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal production 391.12 million metric tons (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in India?
- Arable land in India was 153.87 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 163.62 million hectares in 1984.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 153.87 million hectares in 2023.
- How does India rank for arable land?
- India ranks 1st out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this India 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.
Download this data
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.