Madagascar: Agricultural land (sq. km)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Madagascar's agricultural land (sq. km) did not change 0% on 2023 (from 409,326 to 409,326).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.4% and a typical year strayed about 0.8% 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 2.3% in 1997. 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 41.6 a year. A straight line explains 88% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 409,475 for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 40.84, against 147.23 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2024, Madagascar had the 27th highest value of the 208 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 Madagascar in the 2024 ranking

• Mali — 23rd of 208: 416,751
• Algeria — 24th of 208: 413,202
• Ukraine — 25th of 208: 413,110
• Colombia — 27th of 208: 405,460
• Tanzania — 28th of 208: 398,770
• Mauritania — 29th of 208: 397,100

What this measures

Agricultural land refers to the land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures. Arable land 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. Land under permanent crops is land cultivated with crops that occupy the land for long periods and need not be replanted after each harvest, such as cocoa, coffee, and rubber. This category includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, but excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber. Permanent pasture is land used for five or more years for forage, including natural and cultivated crops.

Limitations: The data are collected by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) through annual questionnaires. The 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. To address some of these concerns, this indicator is heavily footnoted in the database in sources, definition, and coverage.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 64 values

Agricultural land (sq. km) in nearby economies

• Angola — 452,854 (2024)
• Benin — 48,646 (2024)
• Botswana — 258,615 (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 171,208 (2024)
• Burundi — 19,057 (2024)
• Cabo Verde — 999 (2024)
• Cameroon — 99,670 (2024)
• Central African Republic — 58,197 (2024)
• Chad — 503,375 (2024)
• Comoros — 1,475 (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 367,095 (2024)
• Congo, Rep.

More environment data for Madagascar

• Population in largest city — 4.23 million (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 39.26% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 4.23 million (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 12.92% (2025)
• Rural population — 21.97 million (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 67.1% (2025)
• Urban population — 10.77 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 32.9% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 29,748 (2024)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Madagascar's agricultural land (sq. km)?

409,326 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1961?

It is up 16.47% from 351,450 in 1961 (0.24% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 409,326 in 2023 and the lowest 351,450 in 1961.

How does Madagascar rank?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator AG.LND.AGRI.K2, 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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.