When people name the world’s large farming nations, India and Ukraine usually come to mind.
Denmark rarely appears on that list, yet nearly 59 percent of Denmark’s land grows crops such as wheat, barley and vegetables. Actually, that ranks Denmark second globally, only a smidge behind Bangladesh.
Only five countries have more than half their land as arable: Bangladesh at 59.0 percent, Denmark at 58.9 percent, Ukraine at 56.1 percent, Moldova at 55.1 percent, and India at 50.4 percent.
Country
Arable Land (%)
Arable Land (km²)
Bangladesh
59.0%
87,615
Denmark
58.9%
25,386
Ukraine
56.1%
342,901
Moldova
55.1%
18,679
India
50.4%
1,656,780
Denmark has a great starting point—mostly flat terrain with consistent rainfall, making farming straightforward in lots of places. People made choices that built on that natural advantage. Going back to the 1800s, Danish farmers began grouping up in co-ops, slowly combining those scrappy little plots into larger, handier farms. In the long run, that overhauled the countryside from a mixed-up collection of bits and pieces into big open fields, with woods and small towns appearing here and there like extras.
Bangladesh goes about it in its own way—it’s a cramped nation with around 174 million people packed in, so they till nearly every viable bit of soil to churn out food.
Ukraine leans on its renowned chernozem, the plush dark dirt that’s prime for grains, letting them produce monster harvests that stock global markets.
Moldova shares similar soil advantages.
With 1.4 billion mouths to feed, India turns about half its territory over to crops, needing all that space, even if output and techniques swing wildly from one state to the next.
