Saudi Arabia: Arable land (hectares per person)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Saudi Arabia's arable land (hectares per person) rose 0.00713 on 2023 (from 0.11 to 0.12).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.0062 and a typical year strayed about 0.00513 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.01 in 1983 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.01 in 1994. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 2% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2024, Saudi Arabia had the 95th 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 Saudi Arabia in the 2024 ranking

• Bhutan — 92nd of 205: 0.13
• Ethiopia — 93rd of 205: 0.12
• Pakistan — 94th of 205: 0.12
• Angola — 96th of 205: 0.12
• Kenya — 97th of 205: 0.12
• Italy — 98th of 205: 0.12

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

• Afghanistan — 0.18 (2024)
• Algeria — 0.16 (2024)
• Bahrain — 0.00132 (2024)
• Djibouti — 0.00309 (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 0.03 (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 0.17 (2024)
• Iraq — 0.11 (2024)
• Israel — 0.03 (2024)
• Jordan — 0.02 (2024)
• Kuwait — 0.00163 (2024)
• Lebanon — 0.02 (2024)

More environment data for Saudi Arabia

• Population in largest city — 7.95 million (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 25.42% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 18.19 million (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 49.21% (2025)
• Rural population — 5.69 million (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 15.39% (2025)
• Urban population — 31.28 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 84.61% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 161,883 (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 Saudi Arabia's arable land (hectares per person)?

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

How has it changed since 1961?

It is down 73.01% from 0.45 in 1961 (2.06% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 0.45 in 1961 and the lowest 0.11 in 2022.

How does Saudi Arabia rank?

95th highest of 205 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in arable land (hectares per person) unusual for Saudi Arabia?

In 2024, Saudi Arabia's arable land (hectares per person) rose 0.00713 on 2023 (from 0.11 to 0.12). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.0062 and a typical year strayed about 0.00513 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

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.

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.