Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Canada
Canada: Area of permanent meadows and pastures was 18.56 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
18.56 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
39th
of 209 countries
All-time high
25.60 million hectares
in 1965
All-time low
18.56 million hectares
in 2021
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Canada, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for area of permanent meadows and pastures in Canada is 18.56 million hectares, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area of permanent meadows and pastures in Canada peaked at 25.60 million hectares in 1965 and was at its lowest, 18.56 million hectares, in 2021.
That places Canada 39th out of 209 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Canada, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 25.15 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 25.26 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 25.37 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1964 | 25.48 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 25.60 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 25.38 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 25.18 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1968 | 24.98 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1969 | 24.78 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 24.58 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1971 | 24.37 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1972 | 24.28 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 24.18 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 24.09 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 23.99 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1976 | 23.90 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 23.24 million hectares | -2.7% |
| 1978 | 22.59 million hectares | -2.8% |
| 1979 | 21.93 million hectares | -2.9% |
| 1980 | 21.28 million hectares | -3.0% |
| 1981 | 20.62 million hectares | -3.1% |
| 1982 | 20.34 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 1983 | 20.06 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 19.78 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 19.50 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 19.22 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 1987 | 19.40 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 19.57 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 19.75 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 19.93 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 20.11 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 20.08 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 20.05 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 20.02 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 19.99 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 19.96 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 20.01 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 20.05 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 20.10 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 20.15 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 20.20 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 21.31 million hectares | +5.5% |
| 2003 | 21.50 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 21.69 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 21.88 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 21.14 million hectares | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 20.96 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 20.78 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 20.60 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 20.42 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 20.24 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 20.06 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 19.88 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 19.70 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 19.52 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 19.34 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 19.19 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 19.03 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 18.87 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 18.72 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 18.56 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 18.56 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 18.56 million hectares | +0.0% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 18.56 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 378,820 hectares, 49.0× the median. (71 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 25.24 million hectares | 24.78 million hectares | 25.60 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 23.71 million hectares | 21.93 million hectares | 24.58 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 19.95 million hectares | 19.22 million hectares | 21.28 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.03 million hectares | 19.93 million hectares | 20.11 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.02 million hectares | 20.15 million hectares | 21.88 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.62 million hectares | 18.87 million hectares | 20.42 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.60 million hectares | 18.56 million hectares | 18.72 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More reference data data for Canada
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 20.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 20.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 6.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 7.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 22.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 99.83 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.88 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area of permanent meadows and pastures in Canada?
- Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Canada was 18.56 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 25.60 million hectares in 1965.
- What is the lowest area of permanent meadows and pastures recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.56 million hectares in 2021.
- How does Canada rank for area of permanent meadows and pastures?
- Canada ranks 39th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is area of permanent meadows and pastures rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada 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.