FAO projections of arable land in Ireland
Ireland: FAO projections of arable land was 441,000 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
441,000 hectares
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
136th
of 224 countries
All-time high
654,600 hectares
in 1961
All-time low
394,700 hectares
in 1991
Years of data
63
1961–2023
FAO projections of arable land in Ireland, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, fao projections of arable land in Ireland stood at 441,000 hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fao projections of arable land in Ireland peaked at 654,600 hectares in 1961 and was at its lowest, 394,700 hectares, in 1991.
That places Ireland 136th out of 224 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
FAO projections of arable land in Ireland, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 654,600 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 649,800 hectares | -0.7% |
| 1963 | 618,100 hectares | -4.9% |
| 1964 | 588,600 hectares | -4.8% |
| 1965 | 570,300 hectares | -3.1% |
| 1966 | 516,100 hectares | -9.5% |
| 1967 | 531,100 hectares | +2.9% |
| 1968 | 532,500 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 518,300 hectares | -2.7% |
| 1970 | 535,200 hectares | +3.3% |
| 1971 | 537,500 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 511,700 hectares | -4.8% |
| 1973 | 484,200 hectares | -5.4% |
| 1974 | 472,500 hectares | -2.4% |
| 1975 | 459,500 hectares | -2.8% |
| 1976 | 476,000 hectares | +3.6% |
| 1977 | 504,800 hectares | +6.1% |
| 1978 | 509,300 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 520,200 hectares | +2.1% |
| 1980 | 555,500 hectares | +6.8% |
| 1981 | 533,100 hectares | -4.0% |
| 1982 | 519,200 hectares | -2.6% |
| 1983 | 500,500 hectares | -3.6% |
| 1984 | 517,400 hectares | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 507,600 hectares | -1.9% |
| 1986 | 468,900 hectares | -7.6% |
| 1987 | 441,000 hectares | -6.0% |
| 1988 | 424,100 hectares | -3.8% |
| 1989 | 417,400 hectares | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 397,600 hectares | -4.7% |
| 1991 | 394,700 hectares | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 395,900 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 406,900 hectares | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 403,300 hectares | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 399,600 hectares | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 406,700 hectares | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 427,800 hectares | +5.2% |
| 1998 | 448,900 hectares | +4.9% |
| 1999 | 470,000 hectares | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 490,100 hectares | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 511,200 hectares | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 520,200 hectares | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 533,230 hectares | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 523,650 hectares | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 491,690 hectares | -6.1% |
| 2006 | 470,080 hectares | -4.4% |
| 2007 | 468,450 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 488,350 hectares | +4.2% |
| 2009 | 465,590 hectares | -4.7% |
| 2010 | 440,840 hectares | -5.3% |
| 2011 | 460,140 hectares | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 483,610 hectares | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 475,040 hectares | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 466,180 hectares | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 454,000 hectares | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 462,000 hectares | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 462,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 452,000 hectares | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 444,000 hectares | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 445,000 hectares | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 437,000 hectares | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 447,000 hectares | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 441,000 hectares | -1.3% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 441,000 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 303,040 hectares, 1.5× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 441,000 hectares is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.39 million hectares, 32% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 575,489 hectares | 516,100 hectares | 654,600 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 501,090 hectares | 459,500 hectares | 537,500 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 488,470 hectares | 417,400 hectares | 555,500 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 415,140 hectares | 394,700 hectares | 470,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 496,254 hectares | 465,590 hectares | 533,230 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 459,981 hectares | 440,840 hectares | 483,610 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 442,500 hectares | 437,000 hectares | 447,000 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 133 North Macedonia 456,000 hectares compare
- 134 Gambia 447,000 hectares compare
- 135 Bosnia and Herzegovina 444,000 hectares compare
- 137 Georgia 431,900 hectares compare
- 138 Switzerland 421,731 hectares compare
- 139 Israel 372,700 hectares compare
More reference data data for Ireland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0921 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.87 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.5015 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fao projections of arable land in Ireland?
- Fao projections of arable land in Ireland was 441,000 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 654,600 hectares in 1961.
- What is the lowest fao projections of arable land recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 394,700 hectares in 1991.
- How does Ireland rank for fao projections of arable land?
- Ireland ranks 136th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fao projections of arable land rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland 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.