Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures was 45.15 percent in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
45.15 percent
Change on year
down 3.6%
World rank
24th
of 209 countries
All-time high
51.69 percent
in 1961
All-time low
45.15 percent
in 2012
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in United Kingdom, 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 United Kingdom is 45.15 percent, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 3.6% on the previous year and down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in United Kingdom peaked at 51.69 percent in 1961 and was at its lowest, 45.15 percent, in 2012.
United Kingdom ranks 24th of 209 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
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 United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | percent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 51.69 percent | — |
| 1962 | 51.37 percent | -0.6% |
| 1963 | 51.04 percent | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 50.57 percent | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 50.17 percent | -0.8% |
| 1966 | 50.09 percent | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 50.17 percent | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 49.78 percent | -0.8% |
| 1969 | 50.09 percent | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 48.15 percent | -3.9% |
| 1971 | 48.02 percent | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 47.68 percent | -0.7% |
| 1973 | 47.67 percent | -0.0% |
| 1974 | 47.47 percent | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 48.07 percent | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 47.92 percent | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 47.49 percent | -0.9% |
| 1978 | 47.39 percent | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 47.71 percent | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 47.42 percent | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 46.86 percent | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 46.69 percent | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 46.48 percent | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 46.34 percent | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 45.91 percent | -0.9% |
| 1986 | 45.97 percent | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 45.93 percent | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 47.41 percent | +3.2% |
| 1989 | 47.68 percent | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 47.6 percent | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 47.58 percent | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 47.34 percent | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 47.05 percent | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 47.27 percent | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 47.06 percent | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 46.87 percent | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 46.13 percent | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 46.34 percent | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 46.51 percent | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 45.62 percent | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 46.51 percent | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 46.05 percent | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 46.49 percent | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 46.22 percent | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 46.21 percent | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 48.36 percent | +4.7% |
| 2007 | 47.6 percent | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 48.08 percent | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 46.43 percent | -3.4% |
| 2010 | 46.33 percent | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 45.7 percent | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 45.15 percent | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 45.22 percent | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 45.28 percent | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 45.79 percent | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 46.61 percent | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 46.85 percent | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 46.57 percent | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 47.08 percent | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 46.44 percent | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 46.13 percent | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 46.83 percent | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 45.15 percent | -3.6% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 45.15 percent is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.66 percent, 4.7× the median. (71 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 45.15 percent is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15.31 percent, 2.9× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 50.55 percent | 49.78 percent | 51.69 percent | 9 |
| 1970s | 47.76 percent | 47.39 percent | 48.15 percent | 10 |
| 1980s | 46.67 percent | 45.91 percent | 47.68 percent | 10 |
| 1990s | 46.98 percent | 46.13 percent | 47.6 percent | 10 |
| 2000s | 46.76 percent | 45.62 percent | 48.36 percent | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.06 percent | 45.15 percent | 47.08 percent | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.14 percent | 45.15 percent | 46.83 percent | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More reference data data for United Kingdom
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.97 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 59.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 5.48 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in United Kingdom?
- Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures in United Kingdom was 45.15 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 51.69 percent in 1961.
- What is the lowest share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.15 percent in 2012.
- How does United Kingdom rank for share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures?
- United Kingdom ranks 24th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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
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).