A Global Look at Arable Land
Key Takeaways:
- Bangladesh has the world’s highest share of arable land at 60.6%, followed by Denmark at 59.1%.
- South Asia has several countries with high arable shares, including India (51.8%) and Pakistan (39.3%).
- Arable land is scarce across much of the Middle East, where aridity, water scarcity, and land degradation constrain crop cultivation.
This visualization by Iswardi Ishak maps the percentage of each country’s land area classified as arable, using data from the World Bank Group.
Arable land includes areas under temporary crops, temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, market or kitchen gardens, and temporarily fallow land. The measure is a share of total land area rather than the absolute amount of farmland a country possesses.
Where Arable Land Makes Up the Biggest Share
The table below ranks countries by arable land as a percentage of total land area, based on World Bank data.
| Rank | Country | % of Arable Land out of Total Land Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangladesh | 60.6 |
| 2 | Denmark | 59.1 |
| 3 | Ukraine | 56.8 |
| 4 | Moldova | 56.8 |
| 5 | India | 51.8 |
| 6 | Burundi | 51.4 |
| 7 | Togo | 48.7 |
| 8 | Rwanda | 47.0 |
| 9 | Hungary | 45.4 |
| 10 | Gambia, The | 43.5 |
| 11 | Malawi | 42.4 |
| 12 | Nigeria | 40.5 |
| 13 | Pakistan | 39.3 |
| 14 | Mauritius | 37.6 |
| 15 | Lithuania | 36.8 |
| 16 | Poland | 36.6 |
| 17 | Romania | 36.5 |
| 18 | Haiti | 36.5 |
| 19 | Comoros | 34.9 |
| 20 | El Salvador | 34.8 |
| 21 | Uganda | 34.4 |
| 22 | Germany | 33.4 |
| 23 | San Marino | 33.1 |
| 24 | Czechia | 32.7 |
| 25 | Bulgaria | 32.1 |
| 26 | Benin | 31.4 |
| 27 | France | 31.4 |
| 28 | Thailand | 31.0 |
| 29 | Serbia | 31.0 |
| 30 | Netherlands | 30.0 |
| 31 | Burkina Faso | 28.9 |
| 32 | Belgium | 28.3 |
| 33 | Cuba | 28.0 |
| 34 | Tonga | 27.8 |
| 35 | Belarus | 27.4 |
| 36 | Slovak Republic | 27.2 |
| 37 | Turkiye | 26.3 |
| 38 | Azerbaijan | 25.3 |
| 39 | United Kingdom | 25.0 |
| 40 | Guinea | 24.4 |
| 41 | Syrian Arab Republic | 24.0 |
| 42 | Italy | 24.0 |
| 43 | Luxembourg | 23.8 |
| 44 | Cambodia | 23.3 |
| 45 | Spain | 23.0 |
| 46 | Malta | 22.8 |
| 47 | Sri Lanka | 22.2 |
| 48 | Sierra Leone | 21.9 |
| 49 | Latvia | 21.9 |
| 50 | Albania | 21.6 |
| 51 | Vietnam | 21.5 |
| 52 | Ghana | 20.7 |
| 53 | Dominican Republic | 20.2 |
| 54 | Senegal | 19.9 |
| 55 | St. Kitts and Nevis | 19.2 |
| 56 | Korea, Dem. People's Rep. | 19.1 |
| 57 | Philippines | 18.7 |
| 58 | Tunisia | 18.2 |
| 59 | Myanmar | 16.9 |
| 60 | Estonia | 16.6 |
| 61 | United States | 16.6 |
| 62 | North Macedonia | 16.5 |
| 63 | Barbados | 16.3 |
| 64 | Austria | 16.0 |
| 65 | Armenia | 15.7 |
| 66 | Croatia | 15.5 |
| 67 | Morocco | 15.4 |
| 68 | Tanzania | 15.2 |
| 69 | Cote d'Ivoire | 15.1 |
| 70 | South Korea | 14.9 |
| 71 | Argentina | 14.8 |
| 72 | Ethiopia | 14.5 |
| 73 | Guatemala | 14.5 |
| 74 | Greece | 14.4 |
| 75 | Guinea-Bissau | 14.1 |
| 76 | Niger | 14.0 |
| 77 | Maldives | 13.4 |
| 78 | Lebanon | 13.1 |
| 79 | Cameroon | 13.1 |
| 80 | Nepal | 12.6 |
| 81 | Uruguay | 12.6 |
| 82 | Israel | 12.5 |
| 83 | Nicaragua | 12.5 |
| 84 | Cabo Verde | 12.4 |
| 85 | Afghanistan | 12.0 |
| 86 | Lesotho | 11.8 |
| 87 | China | 11.5 |
| 88 | Paraguay | 11.5 |
| 89 | Iraq | 11.4 |
| 90 | Kenya | 11.4 |
| 91 | Sudan | 11.2 |
| 92 | Japan | 11.1 |
| 93 | Jamaica | 11.1 |
| 94 | Kazakhstan | 11.0 |
| 95 | Liechtenstein | 10.8 |
| 96 | Cyprus | 10.6 |
| 97 | Zimbabwe | 10.4 |
| 98 | Mexico | 10.3 |
| 99 | Eswatini | 10.3 |
| 100 | Portugal | 10.1 |
| 101 | Switzerland | 10.0 |
| 102 | South Africa | 9.9 |
| 103 | Iran, Islamic Rep. | 9.7 |
| 104 | Indonesia | 9.4 |
| 105 | Uzbekistan | 9.1 |
| 106 | Honduras | 9.1 |
| 107 | Antigua and Barbuda | 9.1 |
| 108 | Slovenia | 8.9 |
| 109 | Grenada | 8.8 |
| 110 | Dominica | 8.0 |
| 111 | Panama | 7.6 |
| 112 | Timor-Leste | 7.5 |
| 113 | Russian Federation | 7.4 |
| 114 | Finland | 7.4 |
| 115 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 7.2 |
| 116 | Mozambique | 7.2 |
| 117 | West Bank and Gaza | 7.0 |
| 118 | Mali | 6.8 |
| 119 | Kyrgyz Republic | 6.7 |
| 120 | Brazil | 6.7 |
| 121 | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 6.6 |
| 122 | Ireland | 6.4 |
| 123 | Sweden | 6.2 |
| 124 | Tajikistan | 6.1 |
| 125 | Eritrea | 5.7 |
| 126 | Bermuda | 5.6 |
| 127 | Laos | 5.3 |
| 128 | Liberia | 5.2 |
| 129 | Madagascar | 5.2 |
| 130 | Bolivia | 5.1 |
| 131 | St. Vincent and the Grenadines | 5.1 |
| 132 | Zambia | 5.1 |
| 133 | Trinidad and Tobago | 4.9 |
| 134 | Belize | 4.4 |
| 135 | St. Lucia | 4.4 |
| 136 | Georgia | 4.4 |
| 137 | Canada | 4.3 |
| 138 | Angola | 4.3 |
| 139 | Chad | 4.2 |
| 140 | Fiji | 4.2 |
| 141 | Sao Tome and Principe | 4.2 |
| 142 | Ecuador | 4.1 |
| 143 | Australia | 4.0 |
| 144 | South Sudan | 3.9 |
| 145 | Samoa | 3.9 |
| 146 | Turkmenistan | 3.4 |
| 147 | Costa Rica | 3.3 |
| 148 | Algeria | 3.2 |
| 149 | Egypt | 3.1 |
| 150 | Peru | 3.1 |
| 151 | Venezuela | 2.9 |
| 152 | Central African Republic | 2.9 |
| 153 | Micronesia, Fed. Sts. | 2.9 |
| 154 | Bahrain | 2.6 |
| 155 | Bhutan | 2.6 |
| 156 | Kiribati | 2.5 |
| 157 | Malaysia | 2.4 |
| 158 | Colombia | 2.3 |
| 159 | Jordan | 2.3 |
| 160 | Norway | 2.2 |
| 161 | Yemen | 2.2 |
| 162 | New Zealand | 2.0 |
| 163 | Chile | 1.9 |
| 164 | Equatorial Guinea | 1.9 |
| 165 | Guam | 1.9 |
| 166 | Qatar | 1.8 |
| 167 | Somalia | 1.8 |
| 168 | Vanuatu | 1.6 |
| 169 | Congo, Rep. | 1.6 |
| 170 | Saudi Arabia | 1.6 |
| 171 | Andorra | 1.6 |
| 172 | Gabon | 1.3 |
| 173 | Iceland | 1.2 |
| 174 | Libya | 1.0 |
| 175 | Namibia | 1.0 |
| 176 | Solomon Islands | 0.8 |
| 177 | Bahamas, The | 0.8 |
| 178 | Singapore | 0.8 |
| 179 | Brunei Darussalam | 0.8 |
| 180 | Mongolia | 0.7 |
| 181 | Papua New Guinea | 0.7 |
| 182 | United Arab Emirates | 0.7 |
| 183 | Montenegro | 0.7 |
| 184 | Palau | 0.7 |
| 185 | Guyana | 0.5 |
| 186 | Botswana | 0.5 |
| 187 | Kuwait | 0.4 |
| 188 | Mauritania | 0.4 |
| 189 | Suriname | 0.3 |
| 190 | Seychelles | 0.3 |
| 191 | Oman | 0.3 |
| 192 | Djibouti | 0.1 |
Bangladesh leads at 60.6%, ahead of Denmark (59.1%), Ukraine and Moldova (both 56.8%), and India (51.8%). Several African countries also rank highly, including Burundi, Togo, Rwanda, and Nigeria.
A high arable-land percentage does not necessarily mean a country has more farmland or produces more food. Because this ranking measures arable land as a share of national territory, large countries can have relatively modest percentages while still cultivating enormous areas. This helps explain why the countries that feed the world differ from those with the highest arable-land shares.
The Contrast Between South Asia and the Middle East
South Asia stands out for its extensive river systems and fertile plains, particularly around the Ganges-Brahmaputra and Indus basins. The International Water Management Institute notes that these transboundary water systems are central to regional agricultural productivity.
Agriculture also remains deeply embedded in the region’s economies and livelihoods. In India, for example, small farms remain widespread, while irrigation and intensive cultivation support farming across large areas.
The opposite pattern appears across much of the Middle East. The Arab Land Initiative reports that 92% of the Arab region is hyper-arid, while water scarcity and land degradation put additional pressure on agricultural areas.
Countries with limited rainfall have consequently relied on irrigation and groundwater, technology, and food imports to bridge the gap between domestic production and consumption. A low arable-land share therefore does not by itself determine food security, as access to water, trade, and infrastructure also matter.
Does More Arable Land Mean a Country Is Poorer?
The ranking includes lower-income countries such as Burundi and Malawi alongside wealthier European economies such as Denmark, Hungary, and Lithuania, showing that there is no simple relationship between income and arable-land share.
However, agriculture often plays a larger economic and employment role in developing countries.
Research highlighted by Yale notes that small farms are particularly prevalent in low-income economies, where agricultural employment remains substantial. Geography influences how much land can be cultivated, while farm size, capital, and technology help determine how economically productive that land becomes.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
For another look at how agricultural land is distributed, see The States with the Most Farmland on the Voronoi app.