Although cultivable land is only 18% of total land area, against 34% for Viet Nam or 37% for Thailand, given the low population density, the size of arable land in per capita terms is large and comparable to that of Thailand and Lao PDR (Figure 9.7). From 1995-96 to 2011-12, the net sown area increased from 8.9 to 11.9 million ha (net of double cropping), owing partly to land reclamation by the government in Ayeyarwady and Tanintharyi regions and to the allocation of fallow land to private investors for commercial farming. Consequently, cultivable waste land, including wetlands, coastal land, and dry land, decreased to 5.3 million ha (Figure 9.8), which allows for further agricultural land expansion.