South Africa vs Tanzania: FAO projections of arable land
South Africa
12.41 million hectares
in 2023
Tanzania
15.52 million hectares
in 2023
South Africa rank
28th
Tanzania rank
25th
FAO projections of arable land over time
- South Africa
- Tanzania
How they compare
Tanzania currently reports 15.52 million hectares against 12.41 million hectares in South Africa, a difference of 3.11 million hectares.
That makes Tanzania's figure about 1.3 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 63 shared years of data; in 1961 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 28th and Tanzania ranks 25th of 224 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 5 and Tanzania in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Tanzania | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 12.37 million hectares | 6.78 million hectares | 5.59 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1970s | 12.56 million hectares | 8.20 million hectares | 4.36 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1980s | 12.75 million hectares | 9.50 million hectares | 3.25 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1990s | 13.73 million hectares | 9.95 million hectares | 3.78 million hectares | South Africa |
| 2000s | 13.58 million hectares | 11.31 million hectares | 2.27 million hectares | South Africa |
| 2010s | 12.47 million hectares | 14.35 million hectares | 1.88 million hectares | Tanzania |
| 2020s | 12.41 million hectares | 15.52 million hectares | 3.11 million hectares | Tanzania |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fao projections of arable land, South Africa or Tanzania?
- Tanzania, at 15.52 million hectares against 12.41 million hectares in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in fao projections of arable land between South Africa and Tanzania?
- 3.11 million hectares, with Tanzania ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Tanzania?
- 63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
- How do South Africa and Tanzania rank globally for fao projections of arable land?
- South Africa ranks 28th and Tanzania ranks 25th of 224 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as FAO projections of arable land. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Land allocated to arable production or permanent crops, measured in hectares. Values from 2030 onwards are FAO's 2018 projections under three different scenarios.