Where can I grow date palm?

Phoenix dactylifera · Fruit · Perennial

Date palm is a great fit (80+) on 10.7 million sq mi of land in 83 countries, 96% of it only with irrigation. The most well-suited land is in Madhya Pradesh, India, Rajasthan, India and Maharashtra, India. Where it can't grow, it's usually summers too cool (75%) and no dry season (19%).Date palm is a great fit (80+) on 27.7 million km² of land in 83 countries, 96% of it only with irrigation. The most well-suited land is in Madhya Pradesh, India, Rajasthan, India and Maharashtra, India. Where it can't grow, it's usually summers too cool (75%) and no dry season (19%).

Great fit (80+): 10.7M sq mi27.7M km²; 19% of land
Worth a try (50–79): 3.9M sq mi10.1M km²; 7% of land
Great fit without irrigation: 519k sq mi1.3M km²; Rain alone is enough
Countries: 83; With great-fit land

Regions with the most suitable land

1
🇮🇳Madhya Pradesh, India
Great fit on 122k sq mi316k km² · mostly with irrigation
For example Bālāghāt (100), Wārāseonī (100)
2
🇮🇳Rajasthan, India
Great fit on 120k sq mi311k km² · mostly with irrigation
For example Bānswāra (100), Pratāpgarh (100)
3
🇮🇳Maharashtra, India
Great fit on 115k sq mi298k km² · worth a try on 5,700 sq mi15k km² · mostly with irrigation
For example Dāhānu (100), Navāpur (100)
4
🇵🇰Punjab, Pakistan
Great fit on 60k sq mi156k km² · worth a try on 1,800 sq mi4,600 km² · mostly with irrigation
For example Lahore (100), Faisalabad (100)
5
🇵🇰Balochistan, Pakistan
Great fit on 60k sq mi154k km² · worth a try on 15k sq mi38k km² · mostly with irrigation
For example Hub (100), Arif Wala (100)
6
🇸🇦Riyadh Region, Saudi Arabia
Great fit on 60k sq mi154k km² · mostly with irrigation
For example Riyadh (100), Al Kharj (100)
7
🇵🇰Sindh, Pakistan
Great fit on 57k sq mi147k km² · mostly with irrigation
For example Karachi (100), Hyderabad (100)
8
🇲🇱Kayes, Mali
Great fit on 38k sq mi98k km² · mostly with irrigation
For example Kayes (100), Kita (100)
9
🇲🇽Sonora, Mexico
Great fit on 37k sq mi97k km² · worth a try on 1,500 sq mi4,000 km² · mostly with irrigation
For example Hermosillo (100), Ciudad Obregón (100)
10
🇮🇷Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran
Great fit on 35k sq mi91k km² · worth a try on 6,500 sq mi17k km² · mostly with irrigation
For example Iranshahr (100), Sarāvān (100)
11
🇲🇱Koulikoro, Mali
Great fit on 33k sq mi84k km² · mostly with irrigation
For example Kangaba (100), Sibi (100)
12
🇸🇦Mecca Region, Saudi Arabia
Great fit on 32k sq mi83k km² · worth a try on 300 sq mi700 km² · mostly with irrigation
For example Jeddah (100), Makkah (100)
13
🇸🇦Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia
Great fit on 31k sq mi79k km² · mostly with irrigation
For example Dammam (100), Al Hufūf (100)
14
🇳🇬Niger State, Nigeria
Great fit on 29k sq mi75k km² · worth a try on 300 sq mi800 km² · mostly with irrigation
For example Minna (91), Zungeru (91)
15
🇳🇪Tillabéri Region, Niger
Great fit on 28k sq mi74k km² · mostly with irrigation
For example Méhana (100), Téra (100)

Regions are states and provinces, counting land within 75 km of a town. At most three per country, so the list covers the world.

By country

🇮🇳India919k sq mi2.4M km² · 74% of its land
🇸🇦Saudi Arabia282k sq mi731k km² · 95% of its land
🇸🇩Sudan250k sq mi646k km² · 98% of its land
🇳🇬Nigeria213k sq mi553k km² · 62% of its land
🇵🇰Pakistan185k sq mi478k km² · 63% of its land
🇲🇱Mali179k sq mi463k km² · 100% of its land
🇹🇩Chad173k sq mi447k km² · 100% of its land
🇲🇽Mexico155k sq mi401k km² · 25% of its land
🇮🇷Iran146k sq mi378k km² · 27% of its land
🇳🇪Niger128k sq mi331k km² · 100% of its land

Best-suited towns

100%Good fit
Surat
🇮🇳 Gujarat, India
100%Good fit
Bilimora
🇮🇳 Gujarat, India
100%Good fit
ChāndaNeeds irrigation: scores 89 on rain alone
🇮🇳 Maharashtra, India
100%Good fit
JabalpurNeeds irrigation: scores 88 on rain alone
🇮🇳 Madhya Pradesh, India
100%Good fit
NagpurNeeds irrigation: scores 84 on rain alone
🇮🇳 Maharashtra, India
100%Good fit
BhopalNeeds irrigation: scores 83 on rain alone
🇮🇳 Madhya Pradesh, India
100%Good fit
VaranasiNeeds irrigation: scores 76 on rain alone
🇮🇳 Uttar Pradesh, India
100%Good fit
GauriganjNeeds irrigation: scores 66 on rain alone
🇮🇳 Uttar Pradesh, India
100%Ideal
DammamNeeds irrigation: scores 0 on rain alone
🇸🇦 Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia
100%Ideal
DohaNeeds irrigation: scores 0 on rain alone
🇶🇦 Baladiyat ad Dawhah, Qatar
100%Ideal
DjiboutiNeeds irrigation: scores 0 on rain alone
🇩🇯 Djibouti
100%Ideal
Abu DhabiNeeds irrigation: scores 0 on rain alone
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

The most comfortable fits among the 2,000 biggest towns, two per region. Scores assume irrigation where rain falls short; Needs irrigation marks towns that need it.

What date palm needs

Warmest-month average: Ideal 88–104°FIdeal 31–40°CWon't grow below 79°F or above 111°FWon't grow below 26°C or above 44°C
Coldest night of the year (average): Ideal at least 23°FIdeal at least -5°CWon't grow below 16°FWon't grow below -9°C
Yearly rain: Ideal at least 59 inIdeal at least 1,500 mmWon't grow below 31 inWon't grow below 800 mm
Dry-season length: Ideal at least 8 monthsWon't grow below 4 months

Fruit only ripens with intense summer heat and a long dry season; rain and humidity at ripening spoil it. Never grown on rain alone: roots need groundwater or irrigation.

Sources: Zaid & de Wet 2002, Date Palm Cultivation (FAO Plant Production and Protection Paper 156); FAO ECOCROP: Phoenix dactylifera.

What stops it elsewhere

Summers too cool75%
No dry season19%
Winters get too cold6%

Share of the land scoring under 50, by what holds it back most.

How this map works

Every 28 km square of land is scored 0–100 against the requirements above, using 1991–2020 monthly climate averages with frost, chill and heat estimated by simulating daily weather. Each square is scored with whichever variety fits it best. “Irrigated” ignores rain shortfalls; “Rainfed” counts them. Tap any square to see everything that grows there.

Climate is only part of it: soil, slope, water and markets decide where a crop is actually farmed. Use this to shortlist places, then check them locally.