Arable land needed to produce a fixed quantity of crops in Zambia
Zambia: Arable land needed to produce a fixed quantity of crops was 0.1735 in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Arable land needed to produce a fixed quantity of crops in Zambia, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for arable land needed to produce a fixed quantity of crops in Zambia is 0.1735, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 49 years on record.
The figure is down 19.5% on the previous year and down 34.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land needed to produce a fixed quantity of crops in Zambia peaked at 1.05 in 1963 and was at its lowest, 0.1735, in 2023.
Zambia ranks 148th of 163 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Arable land needed to produce a fixed quantity of crops in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1 | — |
| 1962 | 1.01 | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 1.05 | +4.1% |
| 1964 | 0.9787 | -6.7% |
| 1965 | 0.9571 | -2.2% |
| 1966 | 0.8815 | -7.9% |
| 1967 | 0.8883 | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 0.8914 | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 0.8785 | -1.5% |
| 1970 | 0.9467 | +7.8% |
| 1971 | 0.7869 | -16.9% |
| 1972 | 0.6649 | -15.5% |
| 1973 | 0.7898 | +18.8% |
| 1974 | 0.7502 | -5.0% |
| 1975 | 0.6142 | -18.1% |
| 1976 | 0.5328 | -13.3% |
| 1977 | 0.5661 | +6.2% |
| 1978 | 0.6069 | +7.2% |
| 1979 | 0.6274 | +3.4% |
| 1980 | 0.6067 | -3.3% |
| 1981 | 0.6085 | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 0.6869 | +12.9% |
| 1983 | 0.6154 | -10.4% |
| 1984 | 0.5977 | -2.9% |
| 1985 | 0.5569 | -6.8% |
| 1986 | 0.5309 | -4.7% |
| 1987 | 0.5569 | +4.9% |
| 1988 | 0.4144 | -25.6% |
| 1989 | 0.4327 | +4.4% |
| 1990 | 0.5406 | +25.0% |
| 2005 | 0.3106 | -42.6% |
| 2006 | 0.3326 | +7.1% |
| 2007 | 0.3356 | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 0.3418 | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 0.3012 | -11.9% |
| 2010 | 0.2461 | -18.3% |
| 2011 | 0.2384 | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 0.2506 | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 0.2637 | +5.2% |
| 2014 | 0.2457 | -6.8% |
| 2015 | 0.2762 | +12.4% |
| 2016 | 0.2381 | -13.8% |
| 2017 | 0.2009 | -15.6% |
| 2018 | 0.2203 | +9.6% |
| 2019 | 0.241 | +9.4% |
| 2020 | 0.2051 | -14.9% |
| 2021 | 0.1949 | -5.0% |
| 2022 | 0.2156 | +10.6% |
| 2023 | 0.1735 | -19.5% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 0.1735 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.2966, 59% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 0.1735 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.3874, 45% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.9481 | 0.8785 | 1.05 | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.6886 | 0.5328 | 0.9467 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.5607 | 0.4144 | 0.6869 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5406 | 0.5406 | 0.5406 | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.3243 | 0.3012 | 0.3418 | 5 |
| 2010s | 0.2421 | 0.2009 | 0.2762 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1973 | 0.1735 | 0.2156 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More reference data data for Zambia
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Global number of reported disasters by size, gaps filled 0 events (2025)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 40.84 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Consumer price index 483.32 2010 = 100 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land needed to produce a fixed quantity of crops in Zambia?
- Arable land needed to produce a fixed quantity of crops in Zambia was 0.1735 in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest arable land needed to produce a fixed quantity of crops recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.05 in 1963.
- What is the lowest arable land needed to produce a fixed quantity of crops recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1735 in 2023.
- How does Zambia rank for arable land needed to produce a fixed quantity of crops?
- Zambia ranks 148th out of 163 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land needed to produce a fixed quantity of crops rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 34.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Arable land needed to produce a fixed quantity of crops. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Index of arable land needed to produce a fixed quantity of crops (where values in 1961 are equal to 1.0).