FAO projections of arable land in India
India: FAO projections of arable land was 168.32 million hectares in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
168.32 million hectares
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
2nd
of 224 countries
All-time high
170.32 million hectares
in 1994
All-time low
160.99 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
FAO projections of arable land in India, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
India recorded 168.32 million hectares for fao projections of arable land in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fao projections of arable land in India peaked at 170.32 million hectares in 1994 and was at its lowest, 160.99 million hectares, in 1961.
That places India 2nd out of 224 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
FAO projections of arable land in India, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 160.99 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 162.40 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1963 | 162.05 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 162.12 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 162.43 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 162.72 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 163.79 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 164.57 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1969 | 164.48 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 165.06 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 164.56 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 164.99 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 166.04 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 166.50 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 166.84 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 167.06 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 167.06 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 168.24 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 168.44 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 168.15 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 168.41 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 168.75 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 168.53 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 169.42 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 169.34 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 169.41 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 169.71 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 169.37 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 169.98 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 170.11 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 170.18 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 170.01 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 170.29 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 170.32 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 169.91 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 169.53 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 170.10 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 170.03 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 170.12 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 170.13 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 169.82 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 170.03 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 169.80 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 169.89 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 169.67 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 169.46 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 169.20 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 169.40 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 169.72 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 169.23 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 169.37 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 169.35 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 169.44 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 169.46 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 169.41 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 169.32 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 168.90 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 168.78 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 168.67 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 168.05 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 168.14 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 168.23 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 168.32 million hectares | +0.1% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 168.32 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.82 million hectares, 59.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- India's 168.32 million hectares is above the median for South Asia, which is 2.26 million hectares, 74.6× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 162.84 million hectares | 160.99 million hectares | 164.57 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 166.48 million hectares | 164.56 million hectares | 168.44 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 169.11 million hectares | 168.15 million hectares | 169.98 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 170.06 million hectares | 169.53 million hectares | 170.32 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 169.71 million hectares | 169.20 million hectares | 170.13 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 169.19 million hectares | 168.67 million hectares | 169.46 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 168.19 million hectares | 168.05 million hectares | 168.32 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More reference data data for India
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 20.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 68.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 70.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 19.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 309.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,063 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 85.03 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fao projections of arable land in India?
- Fao projections of arable land in India was 168.32 million 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 170.32 million hectares in 1994.
- What is the lowest fao projections of arable land recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 160.99 million hectares in 1961.
- How does India rank for fao projections of arable land?
- India ranks 2nd out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fao projections of arable land rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this India 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
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.