Arable land (share of land) over time (1961–2024)

Follow arable land (share of land) for the world’s countries, year by year, from 1961 to 2024.

The country ranked first changed over time: Denmark in 1961–1964, Bangladesh in 1965–2010, Denmark in 2011–2014, Bangladesh in 2015–2017, Denmark in 2018, Bangladesh in 2019–2024. This is the first place among today’s countries: regions that later split, such as the former Soviet Union, have no values from before the split.
Japan’s arable land (share of land) went from 15.4% in 1961 to 11.0% in 2024 (down 4.4 points).
Japan ranked #47 of 158 countries in 1961 and #92 of 189 in 2024. The number of countries differs between the years, so the ranks are not directly comparable.

Japan and countries at the top, middle and bottom

Key years for Japan and countries at the top, middle and bottom of the 2024 ranking
Country	1961	1970	1980	1990	2000	2010	2020	2024
Bangladesh	66.1%	67.9%	70.1%	72.6%	64.1%	61.3%	61.2%	60.5%
Latvia	–	–	–	–	15.6%	18.9%	21.4%	21.8%
Japan	15.4%	14.2%	13.3%	13.1%	12.3%	11.7%	11.3%	11.0%
Mozambique	3.5%	3.5%	4.7%	5.9%	7.1%	8.6%	10.1%	10.5%
Angola	2.1%	2.3%	2.3%	2.3%	2.4%	3.4%	3.7%	3.7%
Djibouti	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%	0.1%	0.2%
Countries with data	158	158	158	158	186	188	190	189

Ranking and map for any year

Choose a year to see that year’s top countries and the world map. Colors split that year’s ranking into seven steps.

2024


Rank	Country	Arable land (share of land)

Biggest changes, 1961–2024

Compared among the countries that have data in both 1961 and 2024. Countries with a very small starting value are left out, because their ratios look exaggerated.

Biggest increases
Country	1961	2024	Change	Rank
Gambia	12.0%	58.1%	up 46.1 points	#60 → #3
Rwanda	19.7%	48.9%	up 29.3 points	#37 → #7
Malawi	13.8%	42.4%	up 28.6 points	#57 → #12
Uganda	15.8%	43.6%	up 27.9 points	#46 → #11
Benin	8.2%	32.3%	up 24.2 points	#85 → #23

Biggest decreases
Country	1961	2024	Change	Rank
Malta	53.1%	22.2%	down 31 points	#4 → #46
Cyprus	35.6%	10.4%	down 25.2 points	#14 → #96
Barbados	37.2%	16.2%	down 21 points	#12 → #66
Italy	43.7%	23.5%	down 20.2 points	#8 → #42
Portugal	27.4%	9.3%	down 18.1 points	#26 → #104

The number of countries differs between the years, so the ranks are not directly comparable.

All countries in key years

Open the table (countries with data)

Key years for Japan and the leading countries in 2024
Country	1961	1970	1980	1990	2000	2010	2020	2024
Bangladesh	66.1%	67.9%	70.1%	72.6%	64.1%	61.3%	61.2%	60.5%
Denmark	70.2%	66.5%	66.0%	64.0%	57.0%	60.5%	59.3%	58.9%
Gambia	12.0%	12.8%	15.7%	18.5%	23.1%	44.5%	53.8%	58.1%
Ukraine	–	–	–	–	56.2%	56.1%	56.8%	56.8%
Moldova	–	–	–	–	55.6%	55.2%	56.3%	56.4%
India	52.4%	54.0%	54.8%	55.0%	54.3%	52.8%	52.0%	51.7%
Rwanda	19.7%	21.2%	30.8%	35.7%	40.5%	48.0%	49.2%	48.9%
Togo	33.1%	33.1%	35.9%	38.1%	41.7%	45.2%	48.7%	48.7%
Hungary	57.7%	57.7%	55.9%	56.2%	51.4%	48.5%	44.1%	45.2%
Burundi	26.3%	36.6%	36.2%	36.2%	37.4%	37.0%	48.4%	43.7%
Uganda	15.8%	18.9%	20.2%	25.2%	27.3%	39.3%	41.8%	43.6%
Malawi	13.8%	19.1%	20.2%	23.9%	29.2%	37.1%	41.7%	42.4%
Nigeria	26.0%	27.5%	29.1%	30.8%	38.4%	40.0%	39.6%	40.8%
Pakistan	39.7%	39.8%	41.7%	38.6%	40.3%	38.1%	40.1%	39.8%
Lithuania	–	–	–	–	45.9%	33.9%	35.9%	36.7%
Poland	52.1%	49.3%	47.7%	47.0%	45.7%	35.4%	36.4%	36.6%
Haiti	32.7%	32.7%	28.3%	28.3%	32.7%	42.8%	36.3%	36.5%
Romania	42.8%	42.3%	42.7%	41.2%	40.8%	39.8%	36.9%	36.4%
Mauritius	44.3%	49.3%	49.0%	49.3%	47.6%	39.2%	35.3%	35.3%
El Salvador	23.4%	21.6%	26.9%	26.5%	30.3%	31.6%	34.8%	34.8%
Germany	35.0%	34.2%	34.5%	34.3%	33.8%	34.0%	33.4%	33.4%
Czechia	–	–	–	–	42.0%	33.0%	32.2%	32.7%
Benin	8.2%	10.6%	13.3%	14.3%	21.1%	22.2%	30.3%	32.3%
Bulgaria	38.4%	37.4%	34.6%	34.9%	31.9%	29.3%	32.2%	32.2%
France	36.4%	32.3%	32.4%	33.0%	34.1%	34.0%	31.5%	31.3%
Thailand	20.4%	24.1%	32.3%	34.2%	34.4%	33.8%	32.9%	30.8%
Tonga	16.7%	23.6%	22.2%	22.2%	20.8%	25.3%	30.1%	30.3%
Netherlands	29.4%	24.7%	25.0%	27.4%	30.3%	30.3%	29.8%	29.8%
Comoros	34.9%	34.9%	34.9%	34.9%	34.9%	34.9%	30.0%	29.6%
Serbia	–	–	–	–	–	30.3%	29.7%	29.0%
Burkina Faso	11.0%	11.0%	11.0%	14.2%	18.8%	23.4%	28.0%	28.9%
Belgium	–	–	–	–	28.4%	27.5%	28.4%	28.3%
Cuba	13.5%	21.5%	27.7%	31.6%	34.9%	31.8%	28.0%	28.0%
Belarus	–	–	–	–	30.2%	27.3%	27.9%	27.2%
Slovakia	–	–	–	–	31.8%	28.9%	28.0%	27.1%
Türkiye	29.9%	32.2%	32.9%	32.0%	31.0%	27.8%	25.4%	26.3%
Azerbaijan	–	–	–	–	22.1%	22.8%	25.2%	25.3%
United Kingdom	29.7%	29.4%	28.6%	27.4%	24.3%	24.7%	24.7%	25.3%
Guinea	11.2%	11.2%	11.2%	11.2%	11.2%	14.5%	20.1%	24.7%
Syria	33.4%	30.7%	28.5%	26.6%	24.7%	25.5%	25.5%	24.0%
Luxembourg	–	–	–	–	24.1%	24.1%	24.1%	23.8%
Italy	43.7%	40.7%	32.2%	30.6%	28.4%	23.8%	24.3%	23.5%
Cambodia	16.1%	15.3%	11.3%	20.9%	21.0%	21.2%	23.2%	23.3%
Spain	32.5%	31.4%	31.1%	30.7%	26.9%	25.1%	23.3%	22.8%
Sri Lanka	9.5%	12.9%	13.6%	14.2%	14.4%	19.1%	22.2%	22.2%
Malta	53.1%	40.6%	37.5%	37.5%	25.0%	28.4%	24.4%	22.2%
Sierra Leone	4.9%	5.5%	6.2%	6.7%	6.8%	21.9%	21.9%	21.9%
Latvia	–	–	–	–	15.6%	18.9%	21.4%	21.8%
Dominican Republic	14.9%	17.0%	22.1%	20.2%	18.5%	16.9%	18.5%	21.7%
Albania	15.8%	19.0%	21.4%	21.1%	21.1%	22.8%	21.9%	21.5%
Vietnam	17.1%	17.3%	18.2%	16.4%	20.4%	20.5%	21.7%	21.5%
Ghana	7.5%	7.5%	8.4%	11.9%	16.5%	18.6%	20.7%	20.7%
San Marino	27.7%	27.7%	27.7%	27.7%	27.7%	21.3%	18.7%	20.5%
Senegal	15.2%	16.4%	16.2%	16.1%	17.3%	18.8%	19.5%	19.9%
St. Kitts & Nevis	28.6%	22.9%	30.8%	30.8%	25.0%	17.3%	19.2%	19.2%
North Korea	17.9%	17.9%	19.0%	19.0%	19.1%	19.9%	19.1%	19.1%
Lesotho	11.8%	12.1%	9.6%	10.4%	10.6%	10.6%	11.4%	19.0%
Philippines	16.4%	15.7%	17.5%	18.4%	16.9%	17.8%	18.7%	18.7%
Cape Verde	9.4%	9.4%	9.4%	10.2%	16.0%	18.0%	18.0%	18.0%
Tunisia	20.0%	20.6%	20.5%	18.7%	18.4%	18.2%	18.2%	17.8%
Guatemala	10.3%	10.3%	11.7%	12.2%	15.8%	14.7%	17.5%	17.5%
Argentina	6.8%	8.8%	9.3%	9.7%	10.1%	13.9%	16.5%	17.1%
Myanmar	15.1%	15.3%	14.6%	14.6%	15.2%	16.5%	16.8%	16.9%
United States	19.7%	20.6%	20.6%	20.3%	19.2%	17.2%	16.8%	16.6%
Estonia	–	–	–	–	19.9%	15.2%	16.2%	16.5%
Barbados	37.2%	37.2%	37.2%	37.2%	34.9%	27.9%	16.3%	16.2%
North Macedonia	–	–	–	–	21.8%	16.4%	16.5%	16.2%
Guinea-Bissau	8.4%	8.7%	9.1%	8.9%	10.7%	10.7%	13.4%	16.1%
Austria	20.5%	19.2%	18.6%	17.3%	17.0%	16.5%	16.1%	16.0%
Morocco	14.8%	15.9%	16.9%	19.5%	19.6%	17.3%	15.7%	15.8%
Côte d’Ivoire	5.3%	5.3%	6.1%	7.6%	8.8%	9.1%	13.8%	15.7%
Armenia	–	–	–	–	15.8%	15.8%	15.7%	15.7%
Tanzania	5.9%	7.9%	9.0%	10.2%	9.8%	13.3%	15.4%	15.5%
Croatia	–	–	–	–	15.1%	16.2%	15.9%	15.2%
Ethiopia	–	–	–	–	9.8%	13.0%	14.4%	14.6%
Greece	21.7%	23.4%	22.5%	22.2%	21.3%	19.9%	14.0%	14.2%
Niger	9.1%	8.8%	8.1%	8.7%	11.0%	12.1%	14.0%	14.0%
South Korea	21.1%	22.3%	21.4%	20.2%	17.8%	15.5%	13.9%	13.3%
Cameroon	10.6%	11.4%	12.5%	12.5%	12.6%	13.1%	13.1%	13.1%
Maldives	6.7%	6.7%	10.0%	10.0%	10.0%	13.0%	13.0%	13.1%
Nepal	12.6%	13.7%	15.9%	16.2%	16.4%	15.2%	13.0%	12.6%
Uruguay	14.3%	10.3%	8.0%	7.1%	7.8%	11.6%	11.5%	12.4%
Afghanistan	11.7%	12.1%	12.1%	12.1%	11.8%	11.9%	12.0%	12.0%
Israel	14.7%	15.0%	15.0%	15.9%	15.6%	13.6%	12.7%	11.9%
China	10.9%	10.6%	10.2%	13.2%	12.6%	12.8%	11.6%	11.6%
Jamaica	15.3%	13.4%	12.5%	11.0%	13.3%	11.5%	11.5%	11.5%
Paraguay	1.8%	2.0%	4.1%	5.3%	7.6%	9.7%	11.2%	11.5%
Kenya	6.1%	6.1%	6.7%	8.8%	8.6%	9.8%	11.1%	11.5%
Kazakhstan	–	–	–	–	11.2%	10.6%	11.1%	11.3%
Iraq	10.5%	11.1%	12.0%	11.4%	9.8%	9.2%	11.3%	11.3%
Sudan	–	–	–	–	–	–	11.2%	11.2%
Japan	15.4%	14.2%	13.3%	13.1%	12.3%	11.7%	11.3%	11.0%
Liechtenstein	25.0%	25.0%	25.0%	24.8%	24.4%	15.4%	10.8%	10.8%
Lebanon	16.8%	23.2%	20.9%	17.7%	12.6%	11.1%	14.0%	10.8%
Mozambique	3.5%	3.5%	4.7%	5.9%	7.1%	8.6%	10.1%	10.5%
Cyprus	35.6%	33.9%	11.6%	11.4%	10.6%	8.9%	10.8%	10.4%
Zimbabwe	2.5%	3.6%	5.3%	7.7%	9.6%	10.3%	10.4%	10.4%
Eswatini	7.2%	8.7%	10.6%	10.5%	10.3%	10.3%	10.3%	10.3%
Mexico	10.0%	9.1%	9.1%	11.2%	11.8%	11.8%	11.2%	10.3%
Switzerland	10.0%	9.0%	9.6%	10.2%	10.3%	10.2%	10.1%	10.1%
South Africa	9.9%	10.1%	10.2%	10.6%	11.4%	10.3%	9.9%	9.9%
Iran	9.2%	9.3%	8.0%	9.3%	9.2%	9.4%	9.7%	9.7%
Indonesia	8.0%	8.8%	9.6%	11.2%	9.6%	9.5%	9.5%	9.3%
Portugal	27.4%	27.0%	26.5%	25.6%	19.1%	12.5%	10.6%	9.3%
Uzbekistan	–	–	–	–	10.3%	9.6%	9.1%	9.2%
Honduras	11.6%	11.9%	13.3%	13.1%	9.5%	9.1%	9.1%	9.1%
Antigua & Barbuda	18.2%	13.6%	11.4%	9.1%	9.1%	9.1%	9.1%	9.1%
Slovenia	–	–	–	–	8.6%	9.2%	8.9%	8.8%
Grenada	14.7%	14.7%	8.8%	5.9%	2.9%	8.8%	8.8%	8.7%
Bosnia & Herzegovina	–	–	–	–	19.5%	19.6%	19.8%	8.0%
Timor-Leste	4.7%	5.2%	6.7%	7.4%	8.1%	7.8%	7.5%	7.5%
Russia	–	–	–	–	7.6%	7.4%	7.4%	7.4%
Finland	8.7%	8.4%	7.8%	7.4%	7.2%	7.4%	7.4%	7.4%
Dominica	9.3%	9.3%	9.3%	6.7%	6.7%	7.3%	7.3%	7.3%
Democratic Republic of the Congo	2.8%	2.8%	2.9%	2.9%	3.2%	5.2%	6.6%	7.3%
Panama	5.9%	5.8%	5.9%	6.7%	7.4%	7.7%	7.2%	6.7%
Kyrgyzstan	–	–	–	–	7.1%	6.7%	6.7%	6.7%
Brazil	2.8%	3.4%	5.7%	5.7%	5.4%	6.2%	6.7%	6.7%
Ireland	9.5%	7.7%	8.0%	5.7%	7.1%	6.4%	6.4%	6.3%
Sweden	8.7%	7.5%	7.3%	7.0%	6.4%	6.4%	6.2%	6.2%
Tajikistan	–	–	–	–	5.6%	5.3%	6.0%	6.1%
Trinidad & Tobago	11.1%	11.1%	11.7%	7.0%	6.8%	5.8%	5.8%	5.8%
Eritrea	–	–	–	–	5.5%	5.7%	5.7%	5.7%
Bolivia	1.2%	1.4%	1.8%	2.3%	3.0%	4.1%	4.9%	5.6%
Mali	1.3%	1.4%	1.6%	1.7%	3.7%	4.8%	5.6%	5.5%
Laos	2.8%	2.9%	3.4%	3.5%	4.0%	6.0%	5.3%	5.3%
Liberia	3.9%	3.8%	3.9%	3.6%	4.2%	5.0%	5.2%	5.2%
Madagascar	3.3%	3.5%	4.4%	4.7%	5.0%	5.2%	5.2%	5.2%
St. Vincent & Grenadines	15.4%	15.4%	12.8%	7.9%	5.1%	5.1%	5.1%	5.1%
Zambia	3.4%	3.7%	3.1%	3.9%	3.8%	4.6%	5.1%	5.1%
Belize	1.6%	1.7%	2.0%	2.3%	2.8%	3.3%	4.3%	4.6%
St. Lucia	8.2%	8.2%	7.4%	4.8%	3.6%	4.4%	4.4%	4.4%
Canada	4.1%	4.3%	4.5%	4.6%	4.6%	4.2%	4.3%	4.3%
Chad	2.3%	2.3%	2.5%	2.6%	2.9%	3.3%	4.2%	4.2%
Fiji	4.9%	3.7%	4.9%	8.8%	7.3%	5.2%	4.2%	4.2%
São Tomé & Príncipe	1.0%	1.0%	1.0%	2.1%	6.3%	6.3%	4.2%	4.2%
Australia	1.9%	2.4%	2.3%	2.2%	3.1%	3.3%	4.0%	4.1%
Samoa	3.5%	4.4%	5.7%	6.7%	4.9%	4.2%	4.1%	4.1%
Georgia	–	–	–	–	11.4%	5.7%	4.3%	3.9%
South Sudan	–	–	–	–	–	–	3.8%	3.8%
Ecuador	6.2%	6.2%	5.6%	5.8%	6.5%	4.8%	4.2%	3.7%
Angola	2.1%	2.3%	2.3%	2.3%	2.4%	3.4%	3.7%	3.7%
Turkmenistan	–	–	–	–	3.4%	3.6%	3.4%	3.5%
Micronesia	–	–	–	–	4.1%	3.8%	3.4%	3.4%
Costa Rica	5.6%	5.6%	5.5%	5.1%	4.1%	4.4%	3.3%	3.3%
Egypt	2.5%	2.7%	2.3%	2.3%	2.8%	2.9%	3.4%	3.3%
Algeria	2.7%	2.6%	2.9%	3.0%	3.2%	3.1%	3.2%	3.2%
Peru	1.9%	2.0%	2.8%	3.2%	3.3%	3.1%	3.1%	3.1%
Venezuela	3.3%	3.3%	3.4%	3.2%	2.9%	2.9%	2.9%	2.9%
Central African Republic	2.7%	2.8%	3.0%	3.0%	3.0%	2.9%	2.9%	2.9%
Marshall Islands	–	–	–	–	2.8%	2.8%	2.8%	2.8%
Colombia	3.2%	3.2%	3.3%	3.0%	2.5%	1.4%	2.1%	2.7%
Bahrain	2.9%	2.9%	2.9%	2.9%	2.8%	2.7%	2.7%	2.6%
Bhutan	2.1%	2.4%	2.8%	2.9%	3.9%	2.6%	2.5%	2.6%
Malaysia	2.3%	2.9%	3.2%	2.8%	2.6%	2.6%	2.8%	2.6%
Kiribati	2.5%	2.5%	2.5%	2.5%	2.5%	2.5%	2.5%	2.5%
Jordan	3.1%	3.2%	3.4%	2.0%	2.2%	2.0%	2.3%	2.3%
Norway	2.3%	2.2%	2.2%	2.4%	2.4%	2.3%	2.2%	2.2%
Yemen	2.4%	2.5%	2.6%	2.9%	2.9%	2.4%	2.2%	2.2%
Saudi Arabia	0.5%	0.6%	0.9%	1.6%	1.7%	1.6%	1.6%	2.0%
New Zealand	1.4%	1.4%	1.5%	1.4%	1.5%	1.9%	2.0%	2.0%
Chile	4.9%	5.2%	5.2%	3.8%	2.4%	1.8%	1.9%	1.9%
Equatorial Guinea	1.6%	1.1%	0.7%	0.6%	0.8%	1.9%	1.9%	1.9%
Qatar	0.1%	0.1%	0.3%	0.9%	1.1%	1.3%	1.8%	1.8%
Somalia	1.4%	1.5%	1.6%	1.6%	1.7%	1.8%	1.8%	1.8%
Vanuatu	0.8%	1.2%	1.5%	1.6%	1.6%	1.6%	1.6%	1.6%
Republic of the Congo	1.5%	1.5%	1.4%	1.4%	1.4%	1.5%	1.6%	1.6%
Gabon	0.3%	0.7%	1.1%	1.2%	1.3%	1.3%	1.3%	1.3%
Iceland	1.2%	1.2%	1.3%	1.4%	1.3%	1.2%	1.2%	1.2%
Libya	1.0%	1.0%	1.0%	1.0%	1.0%	1.0%	1.0%	1.0%
Namibia	0.8%	0.8%	0.8%	0.8%	1.0%	1.0%	1.0%	1.0%
Solomon Islands	0.4%	0.4%	0.4%	0.4%	0.5%	0.7%	0.8%	0.8%
Bahamas	0.7%	0.7%	0.7%	0.7%	0.7%	0.7%	0.8%	0.8%
United Arab Emirates	0.1%	0.1%	0.2%	0.5%	0.8%	0.7%	0.7%	0.8%
Singapore	4.5%	6.0%	3.0%	1.5%	1.5%	0.9%	0.8%	0.8%
Brunei	0.8%	1.1%	0.8%	0.8%	0.8%	0.8%	0.8%	0.8%
Papua New Guinea	0.2%	0.2%	0.4%	0.4%	0.5%	0.7%	0.7%	0.7%
Mongolia	0.4%	0.5%	0.8%	0.9%	0.8%	0.8%	0.7%	0.7%
Montenegro	–	–	–	–	–	12.8%	0.7%	0.7%
Palau	–	–	–	–	0.7%	0.7%	0.7%	0.7%
Botswana	0.7%	0.7%	0.7%	0.7%	0.5%	0.5%	0.5%	0.5%
Guyana	0.5%	0.5%	0.5%	0.5%	0.5%	0.5%	0.5%	0.4%
Kuwait	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%	0.2%	0.6%	0.7%	0.4%	0.4%
Mauritania	0.3%	0.3%	0.2%	0.4%	0.4%	0.4%	0.4%	0.4%
Suriname	0.2%	0.2%	0.2%	0.4%	0.4%	0.3%	0.4%	0.3%
Seychelles	2.2%	2.2%	2.2%	2.2%	2.2%	2.0%	0.3%	0.3%
Andorra	2.1%	2.1%	2.1%	2.1%	2.1%	1.6%	1.6%	0.3%
Oman	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%	0.3%	0.3%
Djibouti	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%	0.1%	0.2%
Nicaragua	8.6%	8.6%	8.9%	10.8%	15.9%	12.9%	12.5%	–
Countries with data	158	158	158	158	186	188	190	189

Notes on reading this history

Yearly values come from the same World Bank indicator. The number of countries with data differs by year, so each year’s ranks are given only among the countries that have data that year. The ranking page uses each country’s latest year, so it may not match a single year’s ranking here.

Regions that later split into several countries, such as the former Soviet Union, have a value for each new country only from the year it split. So older years have fewer countries with data, and values from before a split cannot be compared country by country with today’s countries. See the “Countries with data” row in the table.

Source: Arable land (% of land area), indicator AG.LND.ARBL.ZS. Processed by this site. data.worldbank.org

World Bank data last updated: 2026-10-08