97% of Pakistani Farmers Now Own Less Than 12.5 Acres

The 7th Agriculture and Livestock Census reveals that 97 percent of farmers in Pakistan own less than 12.5 acres of land, with the average farm size dropping from 6.4 acres in 2010 to just 5.1 acres in 2024. The census shows that just 16,958 landlords hold more than 100 acres each, accounting for 6.2 percent of total farmland, with an average of 215 acres per owner. Meanwhile, 61 percent of farmers now own less than 2.5 acres, up from 40 percent in 2010. Those with less than one acre increased from 15 percent to 26 percent. Pakistan now has 11.7 million farms, up from 8.3 million in 2010. Owner-operated farms rose sharply from 6.74 million to 10.4 million, while tenancy-based farms declined significantly. The total farm area grew from 52.9 to 59.3 million acres, and cultivated land expanded from 42.6 to 52.8 million acres. However, the average cultivated area per farm dropped from 5.2 acres to 4.5 acres. Punjab has the highest number of farms at 5.1 million, though down by 217,000 from 2010 due to urban expansion. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has 4.2 million farms, Sindh 1.8 million, and Balochistan 630,000. Islamabad recorded 16,589 farms, mostly owner-operated. Irrigated land reached 45.9 million acres in 2024, with canal irrigation increasing to 14.4 million acres from 12.3 million in 2010. Combined irrigation methods slightly declined, while rain-fed farming dropped sharply from 8.4 to 4.9 million acres, showing a shift toward irrigation. The total cropped area increased to 82.8 million acres from 68 million, due to multiple cropping cycles. Wheat remained the dominant crop while cotton’s share fell. Pakistan’s livestock population reached 251.3 million in 2024, growing at 3.1 percent annually. Punjab leads with 104 million animals, while KP has 48.7 million and Balochistan 47.9 million. Sheep dominate in Balochistan due to its arid conditions.