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Foreign Ownership of Australian Agricultural Land and Water

Australia is one of the world’s main markets for institutional investment in both agricultural land and water – with the market for the latter holding a unique status globally. Naturally, foreign investors are attracted to the quality of the opportunities on offer.

On the land side, almost all types of agriculture investment are available, from broadacre cropping or irrigated permanent agriculture, to some the largest cattle stations on the planet. The country’s water market, meanwhile, which has ensured water is a regulated, tradable commodity separate from land, is the envy of others overseas.

Which country owns the most land in Australia?

Foreign investments is naturally a major component of the institutional capital flowing into Australian land and water, as our coverage of foreign ownership statistics since 2019 highlights.

LATEST AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN OWNERSHIP STATISTICS

Aerial shot of yellow and green crop fields on Sunshine Farms Aggregation in NSW, Australia

Foreign ownership of Australian farmland: 2023 statistics

The amount of agricultural land with some level of foreign ownership fell by just 0.3% in 2023, far less than the 10% fall seen in 2022.

PREVIOUS STATISTICS

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