Arable land in Ireland
Ireland: Arable land was 439,000 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Arable land in Ireland, 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 Ireland stood at 439,000 hectares.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and down 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Ireland peaked at 651,600 hectares in 1961 and was at its lowest, 391,700 hectares, in 1991.
That places Ireland 128th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 572,489 hectares | 513,100 hectares | 651,600 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 498,990 hectares | 457,500 hectares | 535,500 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 485,770 hectares | 414,400 hectares | 553,500 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 412,140 hectares | 391,700 hectares | 467,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 493,784 hectares | 462,590 hectares | 531,230 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 458,881 hectares | 438,840 hectares | 482,610 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 441,250 hectares | 436,000 hectares | 446,000 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 125 Mauritania 450,000 hectares compare
- 126 Armenia 441,600 hectares compare
- 127 Gambia 440,000 hectares compare
- 129 North Macedonia 416,000 hectares compare
- 130 Switzerland 396,421 hectares compare
- 131 Guinea-Bissau 395,530 hectares compare
More agriculture & rural data for Ireland
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2024)
- Rural population 35.4% (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.0% (2025)
- Rural population 1.94 million (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.1% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 7.63 billion current US$ (2025)
- Land under cereal production 258,930 hectares (2024)
- Cereal yield 7,325 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal production 1.90 million metric tons (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Ireland?
- Arable land in Ireland was 439,000 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 651,600 hectares in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 391,700 hectares in 1991.
- How does Ireland rank for arable land?
- Ireland ranks 128th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland 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.