This is a list of countries ordered by physiological density. "Arable land" is defined by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, the source of "Arable land (hectares per person)" 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.
Data are for the year 2021, and are from the UN FAO unless otherwise specified. [1] [2] Locations with no arable land are omitted.
Location | Arable m² / person | Persons / arable km2 | % arable | Arable land (km2) | Population |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
World | 1,800 | 570 | 11% | 14,000,000 | 7,900,000,000 |
Kazakhstan | 15,456 | 65 | 11% | 296,697 | 19,196,465 |
Australia | 12,062 | 83 | 4% | 312,650 | 25,921,089 |
Canada | 10,027 | 100 | 4% | 382,590 | 38,155,012 |
Argentina | 9,322 | 107 | 15% | 422,088 | 45,276,780 |
Russia | 8,384 | 119 | 7% | 1,216,490 | 145,102,755 |
Lithuania | 8,178 | 122 | 36% | 22,790 | 2,786,651 |
Ukraine | 7,563 | 132 | 57% | 329,240 | 43,531,422 |
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | 7,402 | 135 | 10% | 40 | 5,404 |
Latvia | 7,268 | 138 | 22% | 13,620 | 1,873,919 |
Paraguay | 7,062 | 142 | 12% | 47,340 | 6,703,799 |
Niger | 7,009 | 143 | 14% | 177,000 | 25,252,722 |
Uruguay | 5,927 | 169 | 12% | 20,306 | 3,426,260 |
Belarus | 5,872 | 170 | 28% | 56,240 | 9,578,167 |
Moldova | 5,589 | 179 | 52% | 17,110 | 3,061,506 |
Estonia | 5,268 | 190 | 16% | 7,000 | 1,328,701 |
Guyana | 5,220 | 192 | 2% | 4,200 | 804,567 |
Niue | 5,163 | 194 | 4% | 10 | 1,937 |
Bulgaria | 5,084 | 197 | 32% | 35,005 | 6,885,868 |
United States | 4,681 | 214 | 17% | 1,577,368 | 336,997,624 |
Sudan | 4,598 | 217 | 11% | 209,948 | 45,657,202 |
Montserrat | 4,528 | 221 | 20% | 20 | 4,417 |
Romania | 4,443 | 225 | 37% | 85,880 | 19,328,560 |
Hungary | 4,263 | 235 | 45% | 41,397 | 9,709,786 |
Finland | 4,052 | 247 | 7% | 22,430 | 5,535,992 |
Bolivia | 4,030 | 248 | 4% | 48,684 | 12,079,472 |
Denmark | 4,026 | 248 | 59% | 23,570 | 5,854,240 |
Mongolia | 3,981 | 251 | 0.9% | 13,328 | 3,347,782 |
Mali | 3,808 | 263 | 7% | 83,410 | 21,904,983 |
Serbia | 3,584 | 279 | 31% | 26,150 | 7,296,769 |
Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 3,400 | 294 | 9% | 20 | 5,883 |
Central African Republic | 3,298 | 303 | 3% | 18,000 | 5,457,154 |
Iceland | 3,267 | 306 | 1% | 1,210 | 370,335 |
Namibia | 3,162 | 316 | 1% | 8,000 | 2,530,151 |
Chad | 3,085 | 324 | 4% | 53,000 | 17,179,740 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3,082 | 324 | 20% | 10,080 | 3,270,943 |
Togo | 3,065 | 326 | 49% | 26,500 | 8,644,829 |
Turkmenistan | 3,059 | 327 | 4% | 19,400 | 6,341,855 |
Poland | 2,892 | 346 | 36% | 110,788 | 38,307,726 |
France | 2,783 | 359 | 33% | 179,566 | 64,531,444 |
Burkina Faso | 2,760 | 362 | 22% | 61,000 | 22,100,683 |
Isle of Man | 2,753 | 363 | 41% | 232 | 84,263 |
Brazil | 2,718 | 368 | 7% | 582,528 | 214,326,223 |
Cuba | 2,584 | 387 | 28% | 29,086 | 11,256,372 |
Libya | 2,554 | 392 | 1% | 17,200 | 6,735,277 |
Zimbabwe | 2,501 | 400 | 10% | 40,000 | 15,993,524 |
Belize | 2,500 | 400 | 4% | 1,000 | 400,031 |
Cambodia | 2,484 | 403 | 23% | 41,201 | 16,589,023 |
Slovakia | 2,434 | 411 | 28% | 13,260 | 5,447,622 |
Spain | 2,432 | 411 | 23% | 115,501 | 47,486,935 |
Sweden | 2,422 | 413 | 6% | 25,352 | 10,467,097 |
Thailand | 2,395 | 417 | 34% | 171,500 | 71,601,103 |
Czech Republic | 2,355 | 425 | 32% | 24,753 | 10,510,751 |
Türkiye | 2,345 | 426 | 26% | 198,810 | 84,775,404 |
Tunisia | 2,309 | 433 | 18% | 28,313 | 12,262,946 |
Guinea | 2,291 | 437 | 13% | 31,000 | 13,531,906 |
Cameroon | 2,280 | 439 | 13% | 62,000 | 27,198,628 |
Senegal | 2,269 | 441 | 20% | 38,300 | 16,876,720 |
South Sudan | 2,228 | 449 | 4% | 23,947 | 10,748,272 |
Nicaragua | 2,194 | 456 | 12% | 15,030 | 6,850,540 |
Syria | 2,186 | 458 | 25% | 46,606 | 21,324,367 |
Benin | 2,154 | 464 | 25% | 28,000 | 12,996,895 |
Tanzania | 2,123 | 471 | 15% | 135,025 | 63,588,334 |
Croatia | 2,111 | 474 | 15% | 8,570 | 4,060,135 |
Albania | 2,101 | 476 | 22% | 5,999 | 2,854,710 |
Myanmar | 2,043 | 490 | 17% | 109,900 | 53,798,084 |
Greece | 2,041 | 490 | 17% | 21,319 | 10,445,365 |
Morocco | 2,026 | 494 | 17% | 75,120 | 37,076,584 |
Azerbaijan | 2,026 | 494 | 25% | 20,890 | 10,312,992 |
South Africa | 2,020 | 495 | 10% | 120,000 | 59,392,255 |
Malawi | 2,011 | 497 | 42% | 40,000 | 19,889,742 |
North Macedonia | 1,983 | 504 | 17% | 4,170 | 2,103,330 |
Kyrgyzstan | 1,972 | 507 | 7% | 12,874 | 6,527,743 |
Afghanistan | 1,952 | 512 | 12% | 78,290 | 40,099,462 |
Zambia | 1,951 | 512 | 5% | 38,000 | 19,473,125 |
Eritrea | 1,906 | 525 | 6% | 6,900 | 3,620,312 |
Tonga | 1,886 | 530 | 28% | 200 | 106,017 |
Sierra Leone | 1,881 | 532 | 22% | 15,840 | 8,420,641 |
Lesotho | 1,880 | 532 | 14% | 4,290 | 2,281,454 |
Iran | 1,786 | 560 | 10% | 156,990 | 87,923,432 |
Mozambique | 1,761 | 568 | 7% | 56,500 | 32,077,072 |
Nigeria | 1,728 | 579 | 40% | 368,720 | 213,401,323 |
Algeria | 1,705 | 587 | 3% | 75,306 | 44,177,969 |
Gambia | 1,667 | 600 | 43% | 4,400 | 2,639,916 |
Laos | 1,648 | 607 | 5% | 12,240 | 7,425,057 |
Armenia | 1,589 | 629 | 16% | 4,434 | 2,790,974 |
Mexico | 1,585 | 631 | 10% | 200,840 | 126,705,138 |
Angola | 1,557 | 642 | 4% | 53,730 | 34,503,774 |
Uganda | 1,505 | 665 | 34% | 69,000 | 45,853,778 |
Norway | 1,488 | 672 | 2% | 8,040 | 5,403,021 |
Eswatini | 1,485 | 674 | 10% | 1,770 | 1,192,271 |
Austria | 1,479 | 676 | 16% | 13,198 | 8,922,082 |
Guinea-Bissau | 1,456 | 687 | 11% | 3,000 | 2,060,721 |
Ghana | 1,434 | 697 | 21% | 47,089 | 32,833,031 |
DR Congo | 1,427 | 701 | 6% | 136,800 | 95,894,118 |
Germany | 1,398 | 715 | 33% | 116,580 | 83,408,554 |
Gabon | 1,388 | 720 | 1% | 3,250 | 2,341,179 |
Ethiopia | 1,356 | 737 | 14% | 163,140 | 120,283,026 |
Pakistan | 1,318 | 758 | 40% | 305,100 | 231,402,117 |
Panama | 1,298 | 770 | 8% | 5,650 | 4,351,267 |
Ivory Coast | 1,274 | 785 | 11% | 35,000 | 27,478,249 |
Peru | 1,273 | 786 | 3% | 42,903 | 33,715,471 |
Italy | 1,214 | 824 | 24% | 71,928 | 59,240,329 |
Bhutan | 1,209 | 827 | 2% | 940 | 777,486 |
New Zealand | 1,201 | 833 | 2% | 6,160 | 5,129,727 |
Uzbekistan | 1,178 | 849 | 9% | 40,161 | 34,081,449 |
El Salvador | 1,142 | 876 | 35% | 7,210 | 6,314,167 |
Iraq | 1,141 | 876 | 11% | 49,690 | 43,533,592 |
India | 1,097 | 911 | 52% | 1,544,479 | 1,407,563,842 |
Kenya | 1,094 | 914 | 10% | 58,000 | 53,005,614 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1,050 | 952 | 19% | 50 | 47,606 |
Madagascar | 1,038 | 964 | 5% | 30,000 | 28,915,653 |
Burundi | 1,012 | 988 | 49% | 12,700 | 12,551,213 |
Botswana | 1,004 | 996 | 0.5% | 2,600 | 2,588,423 |
Honduras | 990 | 1,010 | 9% | 10,180 | 10,278,345 |
Luxembourg | 977 | 1,023 | 24% | 625 | 639,321 |
Mauritania | 975 | 1,026 | 0.4% | 4,500 | 4,614,974 |
Liberia | 963 | 1,039 | 5% | 5,000 | 5,193,416 |
Indonesia | 961 | 1,041 | 14% | 263,000 | 273,753,191 |
Saudi Arabia | 954 | 1,048 | 2% | 34,300 | 35,950,396 |
Suriname | 946 | 1,057 | 0.4% | 580 | 612,985 |
Congo | 942 | 1,061 | 2% | 5,500 | 5,835,806 |
Rwanda | 942 | 1,061 | 51% | 12,684 | 13,461,888 |
Portugal | 938 | 1,066 | 11% | 9,652 | 10,290,103 |
Venezuela | 922 | 1,085 | 3% | 26,000 | 28,199,867 |
United Kingdom | 893 | 1,120 | 25% | 60,098 | 67,281,039 |
North Korea | 884 | 1,132 | 19% | 22,950 | 25,971,909 |
Guatemala | 883 | 1,133 | 15% | 15,540 | 17,608,483 |
Haiti | 878 | 1,139 | 36% | 10,050 | 11,447,569 |
Ireland | 874 | 1,144 | 6% | 4,360 | 4,986,526 |
Wallis and Futuna | 860 | 1,163 | 7% | 10 | 11,627 |
Tajikistan | 859 | 1,163 | 6% | 8,380 | 9,750,064 |
Slovenia | 854 | 1,171 | 9% | 1,810 | 2,119,410 |
Cabo Verde | 850 | 1,176 | 12% | 500 | 587,925 |
Timor-Leste | 844 | 1,185 | 7% | 1,115 | 1,320,942 |
Fiji | 831 | 1,204 | 4% | 768 | 924,610 |
Georgia | 830 | 1,204 | 4% | 3,120 | 3,757,980 |
Dominica | 829 | 1,207 | 8% | 60 | 72,412 |
Comoros | 791 | 1,264 | 35% | 650 | 821,625 |
Dominican Republic | 789 | 1,268 | 18% | 8,770 | 11,117,873 |
Cyprus | 765 | 1,308 | 10% | 952 | 1,244,188 |
China | 763 | 1,310 | 12% | 1,088,620 | 1,425,893,465 |
Belgium | 746 | 1,341 | 29% | 8,656 | 11,611,419 |
Nepal | 704 | 1,421 | 15% | 21,137 | 30,034,989 |
Vietnam | 696 | 1,436 | 22% | 67,870 | 97,468,029 |
Chile | 674 | 1,484 | 2% | 13,139 | 19,493,184 |
Somalia | 645 | 1,551 | 2% | 11,000 | 17,065,581 |
Sri Lanka | 630 | 1,587 | 22% | 13,720 | 21,773,441 |
Vanuatu | 627 | 1,596 | 2% | 200 | 319,137 |
San Marino | 588 | 1,700 | 33% | 20 | 33,745 |
Mauritius | 577 | 1,732 | 38% | 750 | 1,298,915 |
Ecuador | 575 | 1,738 | 4% | 10,240 | 17,797,737 |
Netherlands | 573 | 1,745 | 30% | 10,030 | 17,501,696 |
Guadeloupe | 549 | 1,820 | 13% | 218 | 396,051 |
Mayotte | 546 | 1,832 | 46% | 173 | 316,014 |
Samoa | 516 | 1,938 | 4% | 113 | 218,764 |
Philippines | 491 | 2,037 | 19% | 55,900 | 113,880,328 |
Bangladesh | 479 | 2,088 | 62% | 81,100 | 169,356,251 |
Costa Rica | 471 | 2,121 | 5% | 2,430 | 5,153,957 |
Switzerland | 455 | 2,198 | 10% | 3,955 | 8,691,406 |
French Guiana | 446 | 2,240 | 0.2% | 133 | 297,449 |
Liechtenstein | 443 | 2,257 | 11% | 17 | 39,039 |
Antigua and Barbuda | 429 | 2,330 | 9% | 40 | 93,219 |
Jamaica | 424 | 2,356 | 11% | 1,200 | 2,827,695 |
Israel | 424 | 2,361 | 17% | 3,770 | 8,900,059 |
Colombia | 387 | 2,585 | 2% | 19,930 | 51,516,562 |
Yemen | 351 | 2,848 | 2% | 11,580 | 32,981,641 |
Réunion | 351 | 2,852 | 13% | 339 | 966,129 |
Papua New Guinea | 333 | 3,006 | 0.7% | 3,310 | 9,949,437 |
Japan | 328 | 3,050 | 11% | 40,860 | 124,612,530 |
Solomon Islands | 325 | 3,078 | 0.8% | 230 | 707,851 |
Equatorial Guinea | 324 | 3,084 | 2% | 530 | 1,634,466 |
British Virgin Islands | 321 | 3,112 | 7% | 10 | 31,122 |
Martinique | 297 | 3,371 | 10% | 109 | 368,796 |
Cook Islands | 294 | 3,401 | 2% | 5 | 17,003 |
Egypt | 282 | 3,551 | 3% | 30,770 | 109,262,178 |
South Korea | 259 | 3,859 | 14% | 13,430 | 51,830,139 |
Taiwan | 250 | 3,997 | 17% | 5,970 | 23,859,912 |
Lebanon | 249 | 4,015 | 14% | 1,393 | 5,592,631 |
Barbados | 249 | 4,017 | 16% | 70 | 281,200 |
Malaysia | 246 | 4,065 | 3% | 8,260 | 33,573,874 |
Grenada | 241 | 4,154 | 9% | 30 | 124,610 |
Turks and Caicos Islands | 222 | 4,511 | 1% | 10 | 45,114 |
American Samoa | 215 | 4,643 | 5% | 10 | 45,035 |
New Caledonia | 207 | 4,821 | 0.3% | 60 | 287,800 |
Bahamas | 196 | 5,099 | 0.8% | 80 | 407,906 |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 192 | 5,217 | 5% | 20 | 104,332 |
Aruba | 188 | 5,327 | 11% | 20 | 106,537 |
Oman | 183 | 5,472 | 0.3% | 826 | 4,520,471 |
Sao Tome and Principe | 179 | 5,578 | 4% | 40 | 223,107 |
Jordan | 179 | 5,597 | 2% | 1,992 | 11,148,278 |
Micronesia | 177 | 5,657 | 3% | 20 | 113,131 |
Palau | 166 | 6,008 | 0.7% | 3 | 18,024 |
Trinidad and Tobago | 164 | 6,103 | 5% | 250 | 1,525,663 |
Kiribati | 155 | 6,444 | 2% | 20 | 128,874 |
Puerto Rico | 154 | 6,486 | 6% | 502 | 3,256,028 |
Saint Lucia | 149 | 6,729 | 4% | 27 | 179,651 |
Malta | 148 | 6,753 | 24% | 78 | 526,748 |
Montenegro | 142 | 7,055 | 0.7% | 89 | 627,859 |
Marshall Islands | 119 | 8,410 | 3% | 5 | 42,050 |
Andorra | 95 | 10,572 | 2% | 7 | 79,034 |
US Virgin Islands | 90 | 11,121 | 3% | 9 | 100,091 |
Brunei | 90 | 11,134 | 0.8% | 40 | 445,373 |
French Polynesia | 82 | 12,161 | 0.7% | 25 | 304,032 |
Palestine | 82 | 12,252 | 7% | 419 | 5,133,392 |
Qatar | 78 | 12,801 | 2% | 210 | 2,688,235 |
Maldives | 75 | 13,371 | 13% | 39 | 521,457 |
Western Sahara | 71 | 14,140 | 0.02% | 40 | 565,581 |
Guam | 59 | 17,053 | 2% | 10 | 170,534 |
United Arab Emirates | 54 | 18,619 | 0.7% | 503 | 9,365,145 |
Bermuda | 47 | 21,395 | 6% | 3 | 64,185 |
Cayman Islands | 29 | 34,068 | 0.8% | 2 | 68,136 |
Djibouti | 27 | 36,852 | 0.1% | 30 | 1,105,557 |
Kuwait | 19 | 53,126 | 0.4% | 80 | 4,250,114 |
Northern Mariana Islands | 16 | 61,851 | 0.2% | 1 | 49,481 |
Bahrain | 14 | 69,679 | 3% | 21 | 1,463,265 |
Seychelles | 14 | 70,981 | 0.3% | 2 | 106,471 |
Faroe Islands | 13 | 75,556 | 0.05% | 1 | 52,889 |
Hong Kong | 2.7 | 374,729 | 2% | 20 | 7,494,578 |
Singapore | 0.9 | 1,060,904 | 0.8% | 6 | 5,941,060 |
Arable land is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops. Alternatively, for the purposes of agricultural statistics, the term often has a more precise definition:
Arable land is the land under temporary agricultural crops, temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow. The abandoned land resulting from shifting cultivation is not included in this category. Data for 'Arable land' are not meant to indicate the amount of land that is potentially cultivable.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, fiat panis, translates to "let there be bread". It was founded on 16 October 1945.
Soil salinity is the salt content in the soil; the process of increasing the salt content is known as salinization. Salts occur naturally within soils and water. Salination can be caused by natural processes such as mineral weathering or by the gradual withdrawal of an ocean. It can also come about through artificial processes such as irrigation and road salt.
The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, is a comprehensive international agreement in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity, which aims at guaranteeing food security through the conservation, exchange and sustainable use of the world's plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), the fair and equitable benefit sharing arising from its use, as well as the recognition of farmers' rights. It was signed in 2001 in Madrid, and entered into force on 29 June 2004.
Conservation agriculture (CA) can be defined by a statement given by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as "Conservation Agriculture (CA) is a farming system that can prevent losses of arable land while regenerating degraded lands.It promotes minimum soil disturbance, maintenance of a permanent soil cover, and diversification of plant species. It enhances biodiversity and natural biological processes above and below the ground surface, which contribute to increased water and nutrient use efficiency and to improved and sustained crop production."
Food security is the availability of food in a country and the ability of individuals within that country (region) to access, afford, and source adequate foodstuff. The availability of food irrespective of class, gender or region is another element of food security. Similarly, household food security is considered to exist when all the members of a family, at all times, have access to enough food for an active, healthy life. Individuals who are food secure do not live in hunger or fear of starvation. Food insecurity, on the other hand, is defined as a situation of " limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways." Food security incorporates a measure of resilience to future disruption or unavailability of critical food supply due to various risk factors including droughts, shipping disruptions, fuel shortages, economic instability, and wars.
Permanent crop means that the land continues to produce year after year, without the farmer needing to replant fields after each harvest.
The Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT) website disseminates statistical data collected and maintained by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). FAOSTAT data are provided as a time-series from 1961 in most domains for 245 countries in English, Spanish and French.
Livestock's Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options is a United Nations report, released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations on 29 November 2006, that "aims to assess the full impact of the livestock sector on environmental problems, along with potential technical and policy approaches to mitigation". It stated that livestock accounts for 18% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, a figure which FAO changed to 14.5% in its 2013 study Tackling climate change through livestock.
Agriculture is considered the backbone of Pakistan's economy, which relies heavily on its major crops. Pakistan's principal natural resources are arable land and water. Agriculture accounts for about 18.9% of Pakistan's GDP and employs about 42.3% of the labour force. The most agricultural province is Punjab where wheat & cotton are the most grown. Mango orchards are mostly found in Sindh and Punjab provinces, making it the world's fourth largest producer of mangoes.
Agriculture employs the majority of Madagascar's population. Mainly involving smallholders, agriculture has seen different levels of state organisation, shifting from state control to a liberalized sector.
Agricultural land is typically land devoted to agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of life—particularly the rearing of livestock and production of crops—to produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with both farmland or cropland, as well as pasture or rangeland.
Georgia’s climate and soil have made agriculture one of its most productive economic sectors; in 1990, the 18 percent of arable Georgian land generated 32 percent of the republic's net material product in 1990. Since the end of the Soviet period, there has been a decline in agricultural labor force: some 25 percent of the Georgian work force was engaged in agriculture in 1990; 37 percent had been so engaged in 1970.
This article includes the table with land use statistics by country. Countries are ranked by their total cultivated land area, which is the sum of the total arable land area and total area of permanent crops.
Agriculture in England is today intensive, highly mechanised, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with only 2% of the labour force. It contributes around 2% of GDP. Around two thirds of production is devoted to livestock, one third to arable crops. Agriculture is heavily subsidised by the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy.
Mozambique has a variety of regional cropping patterns; agro-climatic zones range from arid and semi-arid to the sub-humid zones to the humid highlands. The most fertile areas are in the northern and central provinces, which have high agro-ecological potential and generally produce agricultural surpluses. Southern provinces have poorer soils and scarce rainfall, and are subject to recurrent droughts and floods.
Agriculture in Somaliland is the second most important of the productive sectors of Somaliland after livestock, and also is one of the main economy pillars of the country. Some of the main crops cultivated in Somaliland are sorghum, maize, tomatoes, lettuce, banana, onions, peppers, Strawberries and cabbage.
Agriculture in Liberia is a major sector of the country's economy worth 38.8% of GDP, employing more than 70% of the population and providing a valuable export for one of the world's least developed countries. Liberia has a climate favourable to farming, vast forests, and an abundance of water, yet low yields mean that over half of foodstuffs are imported, with net agricultural trade at -$73.12 million in 2010. This was dismissed as a "misconception" by Liberia's Minister of Agriculture.
Agricultural expansion describes the growth of agricultural land especially in the 20th and 21st centuries.