How does France rank for share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures?

France ranks 83rd out of 209 countries with data for 2023.

Is share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures rising or falling in France?

Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this France data come from?

The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in France

Name: Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in France
Creator: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

France: Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures was 19.24 percent in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)

19.24 percent

Change on year

up 0.1%

World rank

83rd

of 209 countries

All-time high

25.85 percent

in 1971

All-time low

17.13 percent

in 2017

Years of data

1961–2023

Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in France, 1961–2023

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in percent.

Analysis

France recorded 19.24 percent for share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 9.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in France peaked at 25.85 percent in 1971 and was at its lowest, 17.13 percent, in 2017.

That places France 83rd out of 209 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.

Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in France, year by year

Annual values for Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in France, 1961 to 2023.
Year	percent	Change
1961	24.37 percent	—
1962	24.34 percent	-0.1%
1963	24.33 percent	-0.0%
1964	24.64 percent	+1.3%
1965	24.97 percent	+1.3%
1966	25.29 percent	+1.3%
1967	25.63 percent	+1.3%
1968	25.74 percent	+0.4%
1969	25.81 percent	+0.3%
1970	24.85 percent	-3.7%
1971	25.85 percent	+4.0%
1972	25.76 percent	-0.3%
1973	25.53 percent	-0.9%
1974	25.15 percent	-1.5%
1975	24.87 percent	-1.1%
1976	24.65 percent	-0.9%
1977	24.26 percent	-1.6%
1978	24.09 percent	-0.7%
1979	23.96 percent	-0.5%
1980	23.84 percent	-0.5%
1981	23.7 percent	-0.6%
1982	23.42 percent	-1.2%
1983	23.26 percent	-0.7%
1984	22.94 percent	-1.4%
1985	22.64 percent	-1.3%
1986	22.44 percent	-0.9%
1987	22.07 percent	-1.6%
1988	21.86 percent	-1.0%
1989	21.92 percent	+0.3%
1990	21.52 percent	-1.8%
1991	21.24 percent	-1.3%
1992	21.03 percent	-1.0%
1993	20.52 percent	-2.4%
1994	20.26 percent	-1.3%
1995	20.04 percent	-1.1%
1996	19.91 percent	-0.6%
1997	19.7 percent	-1.1%
1998	19.52 percent	-0.9%
1999	19.36 percent	-0.8%
2000	19.13 percent	-1.2%
2001	18.99 percent	-0.7%
2002	18.76 percent	-1.2%
2003	18.67 percent	-0.5%
2004	18.52 percent	-0.8%
2005	18.37 percent	-0.8%
2006	18.33 percent	-0.2%
2007	18.27 percent	-0.3%
2008	18.17 percent	-0.5%
2009	18.07 percent	-0.6%
2010	17.84 percent	-1.3%
2011	17.81 percent	-0.2%
2012	17.74 percent	-0.4%
2013	17.57 percent	-1.0%
2014	17.51 percent	-0.3%
2015	17.19 percent	-1.8%
2016	17.39 percent	+1.2%
2017	17.13 percent	-1.5%
2018	17.68 percent	+3.2%
2019	17.71 percent	+0.2%
2020	19.29 percent	+8.9%
2021	19.27 percent	-0.1%
2022	19.23 percent	-0.2%
2023	19.24 percent	+0.1%

France compared with similar countries

France's 19.24 percent is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.66 percent, 2.0× the median. (71 countries reporting)
France's 19.24 percent is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15.31 percent, 1.3× the median. (53 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	25.01 percent	24.33 percent	25.81 percent	9
1970s	24.9 percent	23.96 percent	25.85 percent	10
1980s	22.81 percent	21.86 percent	23.84 percent	10
1990s	20.31 percent	19.36 percent	21.52 percent	10
2000s	18.53 percent	18.07 percent	19.13 percent	10
2010s	17.56 percent	17.13 percent	17.84 percent	10
2020s	19.26 percent	19.23 percent	19.29 percent	4

Countries ranked near France

80 Panama 20.34 percent compare
81 Spain 19.78 percent compare
82 Malawi 19.62 percent compare
84 Greece 19.21 percent compare
85 Turkey 18.99 percent compare
86 Burundi 18.81 percent compare
86 Slovenia 18.81 percent compare

See the full ranking of 210 places →

More reference data data for France

Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.48 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.93 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 22.63 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.81 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 22.63 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 18.36 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 11.75 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 14.49 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 106.68 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.3 (2050)

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in France?: Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in France was 19.24 percent in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures recorded in France?: The highest recorded value was 25.85 percent in 1971.
What is the lowest share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures recorded in France?: The lowest recorded value was 17.13 percent in 2017.
How does France rank for share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures?: France ranks 83rd out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures rising or falling in France?: Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this France data come from?: The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in France. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/area-meadows-and-pastures/france/

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About this data

Indicator: Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures
Unit: percent
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 210 places, 12,094 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

Permanent meadows and pastures are areas used permanently (five years or more) for herbaceous forage crops, either cultivated or growing wild (wild prairie or grazing land).