Data / Agricultural land / South Africa

Agricultural land in South Africa

Agricultural land in South Africa was 79.4% in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. That is unchanged from 2023. That is the 9th highest of 224 countries in 2024.

202479.4% Estimated
Change on 20230 pts
Rank9th of 224Countries ranked
Series high83.51961
Series low77.51981

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Agricultural land in South Africa, 1961 to 2024

767880828419611971198119912001201120241961: 83.5 %1962: 82.6 %1963: 81.6 %1964: 80.6 %1965: 79.6 %1966: 79.5 %1967: 79.3 %1968: 79.1 %1969: 78.9 %1970: 78.7 %1971: 78.5 %1972: 78.3 %1973: 78.1 %1974: 78 %1975: 77.7 %1976: 77.5 %1977: 77.5 %1978: 77.5 %1979: 77.5 %1980: 77.5 %1981: 77.5 %1982: 77.5 %1983: 77.5 %1984: 77.5 %1985: 77.5 %1986: 77.8 %1987: 78 %1988: 78.2 %1989: 78.6 %1990: 78.8 %1991: 79.1 %1992: 79.5 %1993: 79.9 %1994: 80.2 %1995: 80.4 %1996: 80.7 %1997: 80.7 %1998: 80.8 %1999: 80.8 %2000: 80.9 %2001: 80.8 %2002: 80.8 %2003: 80.7 %2004: 80.5 %2005: 80.4 %2006: 79.9 %2007: 79.9 %2008: 80.1 %2009: 80 %2010: 79.9 %2011: 79.5 %2012: 79.4 %2013: 79.4 %2014: 79.4 %2015: 79.4 %2016: 79.4 %2017: 79.4 %2018: 79.4 %2019: 79.4 %2020: 79.4 %2021: 79.4 %2022: 79.4 %2023: 79.4 %2024: 79.4 %767880828419611983200520241961: 83.5 %1962: 82.6 %1963: 81.6 %1964: 80.6 %1965: 79.6 %1966: 79.5 %1967: 79.3 %1968: 79.1 %1969: 78.9 %1970: 78.7 %1971: 78.5 %1972: 78.3 %1973: 78.1 %1974: 78 %1975: 77.7 %1976: 77.5 %1977: 77.5 %1978: 77.5 %1979: 77.5 %1980: 77.5 %1981: 77.5 %1982: 77.5 %1983: 77.5 %1984: 77.5 %1985: 77.5 %1986: 77.8 %1987: 78 %1988: 78.2 %1989: 78.6 %1990: 78.8 %1991: 79.1 %1992: 79.5 %1993: 79.9 %1994: 80.2 %1995: 80.4 %1996: 80.7 %1997: 80.7 %1998: 80.8 %1999: 80.8 %2000: 80.9 %2001: 80.8 %2002: 80.8 %2003: 80.7 %2004: 80.5 %2005: 80.4 %2006: 79.9 %2007: 79.9 %2008: 80.1 %2009: 80 %2010: 79.9 %2011: 79.5 %2012: 79.4 %2013: 79.4 %2014: 79.4 %2015: 79.4 %2016: 79.4 %2017: 79.4 %2018: 79.4 %2019: 79.4 %2020: 79.4 %2021: 79.4 %2022: 79.4 %2023: 79.4 %2024: 79.4 %
%. Source: FAOSTAT, Land, Inputs and Sustainability: Land Use (RL): Agricultural land, share in land area, % (item 6610, element 7209). Retrieved 2026-10-12, published 2026-10-02.
All 64 values
Period%
202479.4 Estimated
202379.4 Estimated
202279.4 Estimated
202179.4 Estimated
202079.4 Estimated
201979.4 Estimated
201879.4 Estimated
201779.4 Estimated
201679.4 Estimated
201579.4 Estimated
201479.4 Estimated
201379.4 Estimated
201279.4 Estimated
201179.5 Estimated
201079.9 Estimated
200980 Estimated
200880.1 Estimated
200779.9 Estimated
200679.9 Estimated
200580.4 Estimated
200480.5 Estimated
200380.7 Estimated
200280.8 Estimated
200180.8 Estimated
200080.9 Estimated
199980.8 Estimated
199880.8 Estimated
199780.7 Estimated
199680.7 Estimated
199580.4 Estimated
199480.2 Estimated
199379.9 Estimated
199279.5 Estimated
199179.1 Estimated
199078.8 Estimated
198978.6 Estimated
198878.2 Estimated
198778 Estimated
198677.8 Estimated
198577.5 Estimated
198477.5 Estimated
198377.5 Estimated
198277.5 Estimated
198177.5 Estimated
198077.5 Estimated
197977.5 Estimated
197877.5 Estimated
197777.5 Estimated
197677.5 Estimated
197577.7 Estimated
197478 Estimated
197378.1 Estimated
197278.3 Estimated
197178.5 Estimated
197078.7 Estimated
196978.9 Estimated
196879.1 Estimated
196779.3 Estimated
196679.5 Estimated
196579.6 Estimated
196480.6 Estimated
196381.6 Estimated
196282.6 Estimated
196183.5 Estimated

South Africa compared with nearby places

United Arab Emirates: 5.6 %Afghanistan: 58.4 %Antigua and Barbuda: 21.1 %Albania: 41.1 %Armenia: 59.4 %Angola: 36.3 %Argentina: 45.8 %Austria: 31.1 %Australia: 47.3 %Azerbaijan: 57.8 %Bosnia and Herzegovina: 22.4 %Bangladesh: 72.2 %Belgium: 44.4 %Burkina Faso: 62.6 %Bulgaria: 46.2 %Burundi: 74.2 %Benin: 43.1 %Brunei: 2.9 %Bolivia: 36.1 %Brazil: 28.4 %Bahamas: 1.3 %Bhutan: 13.8 %Botswana: 45.6 %Belarus: 39.1 %Belize: 8.2 %Canada: 6.5 %Democratic Republic of the Congo: 16.2 %Central African Republic: 9.3 %Republic of the Congo: 31.2 %Switzerland: 37.7 %Côte d’Ivoire: 83.9 %Chile: 14.4 %Cameroon: 21.1 %China: 41.7 %Colombia: 36.5 %Costa Rica: 31.4 %Cuba: 61.7 %Cape Verde: 24.8 %Cyprus: 13.6 %Czechia: 45.8 %Germany: 47.4 %Djibouti: 73.5 %Denmark: 65.1 %Dominican Republic: 51.5 %Algeria: 17.4 %Ecuador: 20.3 %Estonia: 23 %Egypt: 4.3 %Western Sahara: 18.8 %Eritrea: 62.8 %Spain: 49.3 %Ethiopia: 34.3 %Finland: 7.4 %Fiji: 17 %Falkland Islands: 93.2 %Faroe Islands: 70.1 %France: 52.8 %Gabon: 6.9 %United Kingdom: 69.2 %Georgia: 33.7 %Ghana: 55.4 %Greenland: 0.6 %Gambia: 76.1 %Guinea: 73.2 %Equatorial Guinea: 3.4 %Greece: 38.9 %Guatemala: 46 %Guinea-Bissau: 31.4 %Guyana: 3.4 %Hong Kong: 3.8 %Honduras: 28.5 %Croatia: 26.2 %Haiti: 65.1 %Hungary: 55.5 %Indonesia: 28.9 %Ireland: 65.2 %Israel: 23.8 %Isle of Man: 68.3 %India: 59.9 %Iraq: 21.7 %Iran: 29 %Iceland: 16.3 %Italy: 43.6 %Jamaica: 39.1 %Jordan: 11.6 %Japan: 12.6 %Kenya: 50 %Kyrgyzstan: 54 %Cambodia: 34.7 %Kiribati: 41.9 %North Korea: 21.6 %South Korea: 16 %Kuwait: 8.4 %Cayman Islands: 11.3 %Kazakhstan: 79.2 %Laos: 9.5 %Lebanon: 63.7 %Sri Lanka: 48.8 %Liberia: 20.1 %Lesotho: 92.9 %Lithuania: 45.7 %Luxembourg: 51.7 %Latvia: 31.7 %Libya: 8.7 %Morocco: 67.2 %Moldova: 73.2 %Montenegro: 18.5 %Madagascar: 70.4 %North Macedonia: 49.2 %Mali: 34.2 %Myanmar: 19.9 %Mongolia: 68.8 %Mauritania: 38.5 %Mauritius: 40.9 %Malawi: 65 %Mexico: 50.6 %Malaysia: 24.8 %Mozambique: 56.1 %Namibia: 47.1 %New Caledonia: 9.8 %Niger: 36.8 %Nigeria: 77.1 %Netherlands: 53.4 %Norway: 2.7 %Nepal: 26.1 %New Zealand: 36.8 %Oman: 4.8 %Panama: 23.1 %Peru: 19 %French Polynesia: 8.1 %Papua New Guinea: 3.1 %Philippines: 42.8 %Pakistan: 47.2 %Poland: 46.2 %Puerto Rico: 18.5 %Palestine: 64.9 %Portugal: 41.3 %Palau: 9.4 %Paraguay: 54.1 %Qatar: 6.4 %Romania: 55.2 %Serbia: 38.1 %Russia: 13.2 %Rwanda: 75.7 %Saudi Arabia: 81.7 %Solomon Islands: 4.1 %Sudan: 60.3 %Sweden: 7.3 %Singapore: 0.9 %Slovenia: 30.4 %Slovakia: 37.8 %Sierra Leone: 55.2 %Senegal: 49.4 %Somalia: 70.3 %Suriname: 0.5 %South Sudan: 44.7 %El Salvador: 57.3 %Syria: 74.1 %Eswatini: 69.6 %Chad: 40 %Togo: 69.1 %Thailand: 43.3 %Tajikistan: 28 %Timor-Leste: 23 %Turkmenistan: 84.3 %Tunisia: 62.1 %Türkiye: 50.2 %Trinidad and Tobago: 11.6 %Taiwan: 21.9 %Tanzania: 45.1 %Ukraine: 71.3 %Uganda: 80.3 %United States: 46.1 %Uruguay: 87.4 %Uzbekistan: 59 %Venezuela: 24.4 %Vietnam: 39.2 %Vanuatu: 13.3 %Samoa: 17.8 %Yemen: 44.4 %South Africa: 79.4 %Zambia: 32.1 %Zimbabwe: 48.1 %
  • Under 13
  • 13 to 25
  • 25 to 39
  • 39 to 49
  • 49 to 65
  • 65 and over
  • No data
Agricultural land, 2024, %. South Africa is outlined. Same source and period for every area shown. Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

Rankings

Definition

Agricultural land as a share of land area: cropland (arable land and permanent crops) plus permanent meadows and pastures. Land area excludes inland waters. FAOSTAT land use domain, element "Share in Land area".

Many countries report land use rarely, so FAO often carries the last figure forward and recent years can repeat earlier ones. This is the FAO series the World Bank republishes as AG.LND.AGRI.ZS. FAO fills gaps in national reporting with its own estimates and imputations, which are marked as estimated, and revises past years when countries send new figures.

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How to cite

FAO. 2026. FAOSTAT: Land, Inputs and Sustainability: Land Use (RL): Agricultural land, share in land area, % (item 6610, element 7209). Accessed on 2026-10-12. https://bulks-faostat.fao.org/production/Inputs_LandUse_E_All_Data_%28Normalized%29.zip Licence: CC-BY-4.0. FAO does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2026). Land, Inputs and Sustainability: Land Use (RL): Agricultural land, share in land area, % (item 6610, element 7209) (Agricultural land, South Africa, 1961 to 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://bulks-faostat.fao.org/production/Inputs_LandUse_E_All_Data_%28Normalized%29.zip

MLA 9

Land, Inputs and Sustainability: Land Use (RL): Agricultural land, share in land area, % (item 6610, element 7209), Agricultural land, South Africa, 1961 to 2024. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2 Oct. 2026, https://bulks-faostat.fao.org/production/Inputs_LandUse_E_All_Data_%28Normalized%29.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/agricultural-land-share/south-africa. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2026. Land, Inputs and Sustainability: Land Use (RL): Agricultural land, share in land area, % (item 6610, element 7209). Agricultural land, South Africa, 1961 to 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://bulks-faostat.fao.org/production/Inputs_LandUse_E_All_Data_%28Normalized%29.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/agricultural-land-share/south-africa.

Harvard

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2026) Land, Inputs and Sustainability: Land Use (RL): Agricultural land, share in land area, % (item 6610, element 7209), Agricultural land, South Africa, 1961 to 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://bulks-faostat.fao.org/production/Inputs_LandUse_E_All_Data_%28Normalized%29.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/en/agricultural-land-share/south-africa (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{food_agricultural_land_south_africa_2024,
  author = {{Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations}},
  title = {{Land, Inputs and Sustainability: Land Use (RL): Agricultural land, share in land area, \% (item 6610, element 7209): Agricultural land, South Africa, 1961 to 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://bulks-faostat.fao.org/production/Inputs_LandUse_E_All_Data_%28Normalized%29.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/agricultural-land-share/south-africa. Publisher attribution: FAO. 2026. FAOSTAT: Land, Inputs and Sustainability: Land Use (RL): Agricultural land, share in land area, \% (item 6610, element 7209). Accessed on 2026-10-12. https://bulks-faostat.fao.org/production/Inputs\_LandUse\_E\_All\_Data\_\%28Normalized\%29.zip Licence: CC-BY-4.0. FAO does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
TI  - Land, Inputs and Sustainability: Land Use (RL): Agricultural land, share in land area, % (item 6610, element 7209): Agricultural land, South Africa, 1961 to 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/02
PB  - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://bulks-faostat.fao.org/production/Inputs_LandUse_E_All_Data_%28Normalized%29.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/en/agricultural-land-share/south-africa
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/agricultural-land-share/south-africa.
N1  - Publisher attribution: FAO. 2026. FAOSTAT: Land, Inputs and Sustainability: Land Use (RL): Agricultural land, share in land area, % (item 6610, element 7209). Accessed on 2026-10-12. https://bulks-faostat.fao.org/production/Inputs_LandUse_E_All_Data_%28Normalized%29.zip Licence: CC-BY-4.0. FAO does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.
ER  -
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Questions

What is the agricultural land in South Africa?

Agricultural land in South Africa was 79.4% in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. That is unchanged from 2023. That is the 9th highest of 224 countries in 2024.

Where does this figure come from?

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Land, Inputs and Sustainability: Land Use (RL): Agricultural land, share in land area, % (item 6610, element 7209). Retrieved by Invokely on 2026-10-12.

What was the highest agricultural land in South Africa?

83.5% in 1961, the highest value since 1961 in this series.

Agricultural land in other countries

Related statistics for South Africa

All statistics for South Africa | South Africa in figures