Madagascar: Arable land (hectares per person)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Madagascar's arable land (hectares per person) fell 0.00231 on 2023 (from 0.1 to 0.09).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.00412 and a typical year strayed about 0.00147 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.01 in 1975 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.00971 in 1976. 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 downward, about 0.00268 a year. A straight line explains 100% 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 0.08 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 0.00197, against 0.00485 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 112th 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 Madagascar in the 2024 ranking

• Guatemala — 108th of 205: 0.1
• New Zealand — 109th of 205: 0.1
• Honduras — 110th of 205: 0.09
• Venezuela, RB — 112th of 205: 0.09
• Dominican Republic — 113th of 205: 0.09
• Luxembourg — 114th of 205: 0.09

What this measures

Arable land (hectares per person) 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. True comparability of the data is limited, by variations in definitions, statistical methods, and quality of data. Countries use different definitions of land use.

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

All 64 values

Arable land (hectares per person) in nearby economies

• Angola — 0.12 (2024)
• Benin — 0.25 (2024)
• Botswana — 0.1 (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 0.34 (2024)
• Burundi — 0.08 (2024)
• Cabo Verde — 0.14 (2024)
• Cameroon — 0.21 (2024)
• Central African Republic — 0.34 (2024)
• Chad — 0.26 (2024)
• Comoros — 0.06 (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 0.15 (2024)

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 arable land (hectares per person)?

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

How has it changed since 1961?

It is down 74.42% from 0.37 in 1961 (2.14% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 0.37 in 1961 and the lowest 0.09 in 2024.

How does Madagascar rank?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator AG.LND.ARBL.HA.PC, 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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