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Land statistics and indicators 2000–2021

Global, regional and country trends













FAO. 2023. Land use statistics and indicators 2000–2021. Global, regional and country trends. FAOSTAT Analytical Briefs Series No. 71. Rome. 



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    Land statistics describe the human use of the land surface for different purposes and economic activities (land use), as well as the biophysical characteristics associated to both human and natural systems (land cover). Land use data are collected from countries via the FAO land use, irrigation and agricultural practices questionnaire, following the FAO land use definitions first developed by the World Census of Agriculture and later adopted by the System of Economic and Environmental Accounts. Land cover data are compiled from global remote sensing maps following the SEEA land cover classification.This analytical brief reports the main results and changes over time in land statistics and indicators with details at global, regional and country level during the past two decades (2001–2023), with a focus on agriculture.In 2023, world total agricultural land was 4 800 million hectares, more than one-third of the global land area. Within agricultural land, cropland covered about 1 600 million hectares while permanent meadows and pastures covered 3 200 million hectares.

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