FAO projections of arable land in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: FAO projections of arable land was 544,348 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
544,348 hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
129th
of 224 countries
All-time high
551,000 hectares
in 2013
All-time low
480,000 hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
FAO projections of arable land in Costa Rica, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 544,348 hectares for fao projections of arable land in 2023.
That represents a change of down 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fao projections of arable land in Costa Rica peaked at 551,000 hectares in 2013 and was at its lowest, 480,000 hectares, in 1961.
That places Costa Rica 129th out of 224 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
FAO projections of arable land in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 480,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 485,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1963 | 485,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 485,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 485,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 485,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 486,000 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 486,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 490,000 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 493,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 497,000 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 497,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 490,000 hectares | -1.4% |
| 1974 | 490,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 492,000 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 495,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 497,000 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 500,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 503,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 506,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 509,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 512,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 515,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 518,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 523,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 526,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 526,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 523,000 hectares | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 510,000 hectares | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 510,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 515,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 510,000 hectares | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 500,000 hectares | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 520,000 hectares | +4.0% |
| 1995 | 510,000 hectares | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 495,000 hectares | -2.9% |
| 1997 | 490,000 hectares | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 490,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 500,000 hectares | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 490,000 hectares | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 490,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 490,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 500,000 hectares | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 500,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 490,000 hectares | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 505,000 hectares | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 500,000 hectares | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 500,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 530,000 hectares | +6.0% |
| 2010 | 540,000 hectares | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 547,000 hectares | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 547,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 551,000 hectares | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 551,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 540,189 hectares | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 533,878 hectares | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 527,567 hectares | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 533,160 hectares | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 538,754 hectares | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 544,348 hectares | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 544,348 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 544,348 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 544,348 hectares | +0.0% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 544,348 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 303,040 hectares, 1.8× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 544,348 hectares is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 544,348 hectares, 1.0× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 485,222 hectares | 480,000 hectares | 490,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 495,400 hectares | 490,000 hectares | 503,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 516,800 hectares | 506,000 hectares | 526,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 504,000 hectares | 490,000 hectares | 520,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 499,500 hectares | 490,000 hectares | 530,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 540,955 hectares | 527,567 hectares | 551,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 544,348 hectares | 544,348 hectares | 544,348 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 126 Congo 651,400 hectares compare
- 127 Guinea-Bissau 645,530 hectares compare
- 128 New Zealand 592,000 hectares compare
- 130 Armenia 503,400 hectares compare
- 131 Gabon 495,000 hectares compare
- 132 Mauritania 460,000 hectares compare
More reference data data for Costa Rica
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2987 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.406 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0167 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.3161 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0907 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fao projections of arable land in Costa Rica?
- Fao projections of arable land in Costa Rica was 544,348 hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fao projections of arable land recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 551,000 hectares in 2013.
- What is the lowest fao projections of arable land recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 480,000 hectares in 1961.
- How does Costa Rica rank for fao projections of arable land?
- Costa Rica ranks 129th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fao projections of arable land rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of FAO projections of arable land. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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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.