. Under the
FAO's definitions above, agricultural land covers 38.4% of the world's land area as of 2011 and in 2023 4.80 billion hectares (ha), down 2 percent, or 0.07 billion ha, compared with 2000. In 2011 permanent
pastures are 68.4% of all agricultural land (26.3% of global land area),
arable land (row crops) is 28.4% of all agricultural land (10.9% of global land area), and permanent crops (e.g.
vineyards and
orchards) are 3.1% (1.2% of global land area). • Total of land used to produce food: • Arable land: • Permanent pastures: • Permanent crops: In 2022, the global agricultural land area was 4.78 billion hectares (ha), down from 4.79 billion hectares in 2021. One-third of the total agricultural land was cropland (1.58 billion ha in 2021), which increased by 6 percent (0.09 billion ha). In 2023 Asia had the largest share of the global cropland area in 2023 (37%), followed by the Americas (23%), Africa (20%), Europe (18%) and Oceania (2%). Approximately 30% of global cropland and permanent meadows and pastures can be found in three countries; 12% of global permanent meadows and pastures belonged to China, 10% to Australia and 8% to the United States of America. For the same year, the largest contributors to global cropland were India (11%), the United States of America (10%) and China (8%) File:Agricultural-area-per-capita (1).svg|Agricultural-area-per-capita. File:WORLD AGRICULTURAL LAND BY USE.svg|World agricultural land by use, permanent meadows and pastures and cropland. File:Cropland Area (2021).svg|Area used for crops by country in 2021. File:Distribution of cropland area, 2020.svg|Distribution of cropland area, 2020. File:World agricultural land area by main category, 2023.svg|World agricultural land area by main category, 2023. Asia had the largest share of the global cropland area in 2021 (37 percent), followed by the Americas (24 percent), Africa (19 percent), Europe (18 percent) and Oceania (2 percent). There were differences in cropland expansion in the different regions during this period – Oceania and Africa both had rapid growth in cropland area (33 percent and 27 percent), while Asia and the Americas had more moderate growth (4 percent and 2 percent). The cropland area of Europe declined between 2000 and 2021 by 5 percent. As a result, the cropland area of Africa overtook that of Europe in 2018. Approximately 30 percent of global cropland and permanent meadows and pastures can be found in three countries. In 2021, 12 percent of global permanent meadows and pastures belonged to China, 10 percent to Australia, and 8 percent to the United States of America. For the same year, the largest share of global cropland was in India (11 percent), followed by the United States of America (10 percent) and China (8 percent). Cropland area per capita decreased in all regions between 2000 and 2021 as population increased faster than the cropland area. The world average declined by 18 percent to 0.20 ha per capita in 2021; the decrease was the largest in Africa (−25 percent, to0.21 ha per capita), followed by the Americas and Asia (−17 percent each, to 0.37 ha per capita and 0.13 ha per capita, respectively), Europe and Oceania (−7 percent each, to 0.39 ha per capita and 0.77 ha per capita, respectively). The countries with the highest cropland area per capita are Kazakhstan, Australia and Canada, due to vast areas of land available. in part due to a decrease of wool production in favor of
synthetic fibers (such as polyester) and
cotton. The decrease of permanent pasture, however, does not account for gross conversion (e.g. land extensively cleared for agriculture in some areas, while converted from agriculture to other uses elsewhere) and more detailed analyses have demonstrated this. For example, Lark et al. 2015 found that in the United States cropland increased by 2.98 million acres from 2008 to 2012 (comprising converted to agriculture, and converted from agriculture). Source: Helgi Library, World Bank, FAOSTAT ==Agricultural land market==