Ethiopia: Arable land (hectares)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Ethiopia's arable land (hectares) did not change 0% on 2023 (from 16.4 million to 16.4 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +1.7% and a typical year strayed about 3.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 13.1% in 2004 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.1% in 2008. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 78,174 a year. A straight line explains 87% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Ethiopia had the 21st highest value of the 205 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Ethiopia in the 2024 ranking

• Indonesia — 17th of 205: 17.69 million
• France — 18th of 205: 16.88 million
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 19th of 205: 16.52 million
• Thailand — 21st of 205: 15.73 million
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 22nd of 205: 15.7 million
• Tanzania — 23rd of 205: 13.7 million

What this measures

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.

Limitations: The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) tries to impose standard definitions and reporting methods, but complete consistency across countries and over time is not possible. Thus, data on agricultural land in different climates may not be comparable. For example, permanent pastures are quite different in nature and intensity in African countries and dry Middle Eastern countries. The data collected by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations from official national sources through the questionnaire are supplemented with information from official secondary data sources.

All 32 values

Arable land (hectares) in nearby economies

• Angola — 4.57 million (2024)
• Benin — 3.65 million (2024)
• Botswana — 260,000 (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 7.91 million (2024)
• Burundi — 1.12 million (2024)
• Cabo Verde — 72,430 (2024)
• Cameroon — 6.2 million (2024)
• Central African Republic — 1.8 million (2024)
• Chad — 5.3 million (2024)
• Comoros — 55,350 (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 16.52 million (2024)
• Congo, Rep.

More environment data for Ethiopia

• Population in largest city — 5.96 million (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 18.24% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 5.96 million (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 4.4% (2025)
• Rural population — 102.81 million (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 75.89% (2025)
• Urban population — 32.66 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 24.11% (2025)
• Rural population growth (annual %) — 1.91% (2025)
• Urban population growth (annual %)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Ethiopia's arable land (hectares)?

16.4 million in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1993?

It is up 64% from 10 million in 1993 (1.61% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 16.43 million in 2021 and the lowest 9.8 million in 2001.

How does Ethiopia rank?

21st highest of 205 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in arable land (hectares) unusual for Ethiopia?

In 2024, Ethiopia's arable land (hectares) did not change 0% on 2023 (from 16.4 million to 16.4 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +1.7% and a typical year strayed about 3.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator AG.LND.ARBL.HA, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original 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) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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