Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Australia
Australia: Area of permanent meadows and pastures was 331.87 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
331.87 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
2nd
of 209 countries
All-time high
491.97 million hectares
in 1968
All-time low
312.22 million hectares
in 2016
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Australia, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, area of permanent meadows and pastures in Australia stood at 331.87 million hectares.
The figure is down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area of permanent meadows and pastures in Australia peaked at 491.97 million hectares in 1968 and was at its lowest, 312.22 million hectares, in 2016.
Australia ranks 2nd of 209 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Australia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 459.93 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 460.90 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 463.81 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 465.43 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1965 | 468.75 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1966 | 468.06 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 470.12 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 491.97 million hectares | +4.6% |
| 1969 | 491.07 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1970 | 474.75 million hectares | -3.3% |
| 1971 | 482.49 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1972 | 482.58 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 482.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 485.40 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 485.80 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 486.10 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 476.50 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 1978 | 479.30 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 475.80 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 477.68 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 477.17 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 471.16 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1983 | 464.37 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 464.65 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 465.65 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 447.69 million hectares | -3.9% |
| 1987 | 451.25 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 453.69 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 449.40 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 447.30 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 445.40 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 449.60 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 442.80 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 451.10 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 446.35 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 445.82 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 441.10 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 442.29 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 430.43 million hectares | -2.7% |
| 2000 | 431.70 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 431.18 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 422.94 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 415.93 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 368.83 million hectares | -11.3% |
| 2005 | 383.49 million hectares | +4.0% |
| 2006 | 384.74 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 374.83 million hectares | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 364.91 million hectares | -2.6% |
| 2009 | 356.75 million hectares | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 350.40 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 364.04 million hectares | +3.9% |
| 2012 | 355.08 million hectares | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 340.16 million hectares | -4.2% |
| 2014 | 342.12 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 316.72 million hectares | -7.4% |
| 2016 | 312.22 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 340.76 million hectares | +9.1% |
| 2018 | 327.59 million hectares | -3.9% |
| 2019 | 331.56 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 324.78 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 331.87 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 331.87 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 331.87 million hectares | +0.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 331.87 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 378,820 hectares, 876.1× the median. (71 countries reporting)
- Australia's 331.87 million hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 173,000 hectares, 1918.3× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 471.12 million hectares | 459.93 million hectares | 491.97 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 481.15 million hectares | 474.75 million hectares | 486.10 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 462.27 million hectares | 447.69 million hectares | 477.68 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 444.22 million hectares | 430.43 million hectares | 451.10 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 393.53 million hectares | 356.75 million hectares | 431.70 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 338.07 million hectares | 312.22 million hectares | 364.04 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 330.10 million hectares | 324.78 million hectares | 331.87 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 1 China 392.83 million hectares compare
- 3 USSR 326.50 million hectares compare
- 4 United States 266.81 million hectares compare
- 5 Kazakhstan 184.46 million hectares compare
More reference data data for Australia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 28.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 118.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 170.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 13.9 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area of permanent meadows and pastures in Australia?
- Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Australia was 331.87 million hectares 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 area of permanent meadows and pastures recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 491.97 million hectares in 1968.
- What is the lowest area of permanent meadows and pastures recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 312.22 million hectares in 2016.
- How does Australia rank for area of permanent meadows and pastures?
- Australia ranks 2nd out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is area of permanent meadows and pastures rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia 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 Area of 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
This is the land used for livestock grazing. The total land use for livestock farming is higher as it additionally requires cropland used to grow animal feed.