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

Italy ranks 117th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.

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

Over the last ten years it is down 20.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this Italy 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 Italy

Name: Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in Italy
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)

Italy: Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures was 12.19 percent in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)

12.19 percent

Change on year

up 2.1%

World rank

117th

of 209 countries

All-time high

17.85 percent

in 1970

All-time low

10.29 percent

in 2021

Years of data

1961–2023

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

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in Italy is 12.19 percent, measured in 2023.

The figure is up 2.1% on the previous year and down 20.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in Italy peaked at 17.85 percent in 1970 and was at its lowest, 10.29 percent, in 2021.

That places Italy 117th 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 Italy, year by year

Annual values for Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in Italy, 1961 to 2023.
Year	percent	Change
1961	17.26 percent	—
1962	17.28 percent	+0.1%
1963	17.32 percent	+0.2%
1964	17.3 percent	-0.1%
1965	17.47 percent	+1.0%
1966	17.5 percent	+0.2%
1967	17.56 percent	+0.3%
1968	17.54 percent	-0.1%
1969	17.77 percent	+1.3%
1970	17.85 percent	+0.5%
1971	17.82 percent	-0.2%
1972	17.69 percent	-0.7%
1973	17.85 percent	+0.9%
1974	17.73 percent	-0.7%
1975	17.69 percent	-0.2%
1976	17.6 percent	-0.5%
1977	17.56 percent	-0.2%
1978	17.57 percent	+0.1%
1979	17.55 percent	-0.1%
1980	17.43 percent	-0.7%
1981	17.43 percent	+0.0%
1982	17.41 percent	-0.1%
1983	16.97 percent	-2.5%
1984	17.04 percent	+0.4%
1985	16.94 percent	-0.6%
1986	16.81 percent	-0.8%
1987	16.8 percent	-0.1%
1988	16.52 percent	-1.7%
1989	16.6 percent	+0.5%
1990	16.55 percent	-0.3%
1991	14.29 percent	-13.7%
1992	14.79 percent	+3.5%
1993	15.4 percent	+4.1%
1994	15.5 percent	+0.6%
1995	14.98 percent	-3.4%
1996	14.77 percent	-1.4%
1997	14.86 percent	+0.6%
1998	14.78 percent	-0.5%
1999	14.88 percent	+0.7%
2000	14.72 percent	-1.1%
2001	14.76 percent	+0.3%
2002	14.81 percent	+0.3%
2003	14.77 percent	-0.3%
2004	14.72 percent	-0.3%
2005	14.89 percent	+1.2%
2006	14.48 percent	-2.8%
2007	15.08 percent	+4.1%
2008	14.93 percent	-1.0%
2009	14.96 percent	+0.2%
2010	15.89 percent	+6.2%
2011	15.6 percent	-1.8%
2012	14.1 percent	-9.6%
2013	15.36 percent	+8.9%
2014	13.67 percent	-11.0%
2015	13.18 percent	-3.6%
2016	12.39 percent	-6.0%
2017	12.2 percent	-1.5%
2018	10.97 percent	-10.1%
2019	12.82 percent	+16.9%
2020	10.6 percent	-17.3%
2021	10.29 percent	-2.9%
2022	11.94 percent	+16.0%
2023	12.19 percent	+2.1%

Italy compared with similar countries

Italy's 12.19 percent is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.66 percent, 1.3× the median. (71 countries reporting)
Italy's 12.19 percent is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15.31 percent, 80% of the median. (53 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	17.44 percent	17.26 percent	17.77 percent	9
1970s	17.69 percent	17.55 percent	17.85 percent	10
1980s	16.99 percent	16.52 percent	17.43 percent	10
1990s	15.08 percent	14.29 percent	16.55 percent	10
2000s	14.81 percent	14.48 percent	15.08 percent	10
2010s	13.62 percent	10.97 percent	15.89 percent	10
2020s	11.25 percent	10.29 percent	12.19 percent	4

Countries ranked near Italy

114 Liberia 12.7 percent compare
115 Czechia 12.55 percent compare
116 Nepal 12.52 percent compare
118 Ecuador 11.84 percent compare
119 Chile 11.82 percent compare
120 Belarus 11.73 percent compare

See the full ranking of 210 places →

More reference data data for Italy

Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.5 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.48 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 8.94 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.927 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 8.94 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 8.37 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.21 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.51 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 41.74 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 5.05 (2050)

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in Italy?: Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in Italy was 12.19 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 Italy?: The highest recorded value was 17.85 percent in 1970.
What is the lowest share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures recorded in Italy?: The lowest recorded value was 10.29 percent in 2021.
How does Italy rank for share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures?: Italy ranks 117th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures rising or falling in Italy?: Over the last ten years it is down 20.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Italy 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 Italy. 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/italy/

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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).