How does OECD (FAO) rank for share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures?

OECD (FAO) ranks 1st out of 2 groups with data for 2023.

Is share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures rising or falling in OECD (FAO)?

Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this OECD (FAO) 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 OECD (FAO)

Name: Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in OECD (FAO)
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)

OECD (FAO): Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures was 23.01 percent in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)

23.01 percent

Change on year

down 0.0%

Rank

1st

of 2 groups

All-time high

28.1 percent

in 1968

All-time low

22.4 percent

in 2016

Years of data

1961–2023

Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in OECD (FAO), 1961–2023

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

Analysis

In 2023, share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in OECD (FAO) stood at 23.01 percent.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in OECD (FAO) peaked at 28.1 percent in 1968 and was at its lowest, 22.4 percent, in 2016.

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

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	27.64 percent	27.49 percent	28.1 percent	9
1970s	27.46 percent	27.09 percent	27.63 percent	10
1980s	26.71 percent	26.31 percent	27.12 percent	10
1990s	25.98 percent	25.51 percent	26.26 percent	10
2000s	24.62 percent	23.72 percent	25.55 percent	10
2010s	23.2 percent	22.4 percent	24.03 percent	10
2020s	22.95 percent	22.74 percent	23.04 percent	4

Countries ranked near OECD (FAO)

1 Falkland Islands 93.19 percent compare
2 Turkmenistan 80.75 percent compare
3 Saudi Arabia 79.08 percent compare
4 Djibouti 73.34 percent compare

See the full ranking of 210 places →

More reference data data for OECD (FAO)

FAO projections of arable land 382.61 million hectares (2023)
Land area in hectares 3.41 billion hectares (2023)
Area of permanent meadows and pastures 784.74 million hectares (2023)
Share of arable land which is organic 6.4 percent (2023)

All data for OECD (FAO) →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in OECD (FAO)?: Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in OECD (FAO) was 23.01 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 OECD (FAO)?: The highest recorded value was 28.1 percent in 1968.
What is the lowest share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures recorded in OECD (FAO)?: The lowest recorded value was 22.4 percent in 2016.
How does OECD (FAO) rank for share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures?: OECD (FAO) ranks 1st out of 2 groups with data for 2023.
Is share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures rising or falling in OECD (FAO)?: Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this OECD (FAO) 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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: 07 August 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).