South Asia - Agricultural land

Agricultural land (sq. km)

The value for Agricultural land (sq. km) in South Asia was 2,705,488 as of 2018. As the graph below shows, over the past 57 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 2,741,406 in 1982 and a minimum value of 2,635,040 in 1961.

Definition: Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded. Land under permanent crops is land cultivated with crops that occupy the land for long periods and need not be replanted after each harvest, such as cocoa, coffee, and rubber. This category includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, but excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber. Permanent pasture is land used for five or more years for forage, including natural and cultivated crops.

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.

See also:

Year Value
1961 2,635,040
1962 2,651,870
1963 2,653,150
1964 2,664,860
1965 2,680,040
1966 2,686,390
1967 2,691,460
1968 2,694,460
1969 2,674,330
1970 2,680,420
1971 2,674,620
1972 2,680,460
1973 2,698,840
1974 2,698,090
1975 2,705,480
1976 2,702,330
1977 2,704,250
1978 2,719,770
1979 2,717,900
1980 2,725,780
1981 2,718,110
1982 2,741,406
1983 2,717,452
1984 2,739,428
1985 2,734,224
1986 2,717,680
1987 2,733,156
1988 2,718,482
1989 2,727,848
1990 2,719,904
1991 2,722,070
1992 2,712,782
1993 2,715,144
1994 2,712,726
1995 2,711,888
1996 2,709,480
1997 2,719,272
1998 2,720,694
1999 2,721,776
2000 2,719,641
2001 2,717,700
2002 2,716,940
2003 2,714,750
2004 2,707,770
2005 2,706,260
2006 2,704,410
2007 2,699,360
2008 2,695,093
2009 2,696,790
2010 2,692,409
2011 2,700,281
2012 2,700,735
2013 2,703,845
2014 2,703,765
2015 2,703,428
2016 2,709,701
2017 2,711,764
2018 2,705,488

Agricultural land (% of land area)

Agricultural land (% of land area) in South Asia was 56.71 as of 2018. Its highest value over the past 57 years was 57.35 in 1982, while its lowest value was 55.13 in 1961.

Definition: Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded. Land under permanent crops is land cultivated with crops that occupy the land for long periods and need not be replanted after each harvest, such as cocoa, coffee, and rubber. This category includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, but excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber. Permanent pasture is land used for five or more years for forage, including natural and cultivated crops.

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.

See also:

Year Value
1961 55.13
1962 55.48
1963 55.51
1964 55.75
1965 56.07
1966 56.20
1967 56.31
1968 56.37
1969 55.95
1970 56.08
1971 55.96
1972 56.08
1973 56.46
1974 56.45
1975 56.60
1976 56.54
1977 56.58
1978 56.90
1979 56.86
1980 57.03
1981 56.87
1982 57.35
1983 56.85
1984 57.31
1985 57.20
1986 56.86
1987 57.18
1988 56.87
1989 57.07
1990 56.90
1991 56.95
1992 56.75
1993 56.80
1994 56.84
1995 56.82
1996 56.77
1997 56.97
1998 57.00
1999 57.03
2000 56.98
2001 56.94
2002 56.92
2003 56.87
2004 56.75
2005 56.72
2006 56.68
2007 56.57
2008 56.48
2009 56.52
2010 56.43
2011 56.59
2012 56.60
2013 56.67
2014 56.66
2015 56.67
2016 56.80
2017 56.84
2018 56.71

Classification

Topic: Environment Indicators

Sub-Topic: Land use