Area of permanent meadows and pastures in France
France: Area of permanent meadows and pastures was 10.37 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
10.37 million hectares
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
52nd
of 209 countries
All-time high
13.93 million hectares
in 1971
All-time low
9.23 million hectares
in 2017
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Area of permanent meadows and pastures in France, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
France recorded 10.37 million hectares for area of permanent meadows and pastures in 2023.
That represents a change of up 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area of permanent meadows and pastures in France peaked at 13.93 million hectares in 1971 and was at its lowest, 9.23 million hectares, in 2017.
That places France 52nd 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 France, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 13.13 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 13.12 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1963 | 13.11 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 13.28 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1965 | 13.46 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 13.63 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1967 | 13.81 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1968 | 13.88 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 13.91 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 13.39 million hectares | -3.7% |
| 1971 | 13.93 million hectares | +4.0% |
| 1972 | 13.88 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 13.76 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 13.55 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 1975 | 13.40 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 1976 | 13.28 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 13.07 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1978 | 12.99 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1979 | 12.91 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 12.85 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 12.77 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 12.62 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1983 | 12.54 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 12.36 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 12.20 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 12.09 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 11.89 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1988 | 11.78 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 11.81 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 11.60 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 1991 | 11.45 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 11.33 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 11.06 million hectares | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 10.92 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 10.80 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 10.73 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 10.62 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 10.52 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 10.43 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 10.31 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 10.23 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 10.11 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 10.06 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 9.98 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 9.90 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 9.88 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 9.85 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 9.79 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 9.74 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 9.61 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 9.60 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 9.56 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 9.47 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 9.44 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 9.26 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 9.37 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 9.23 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 9.53 million hectares | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 9.55 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 10.40 million hectares | +8.9% |
| 2021 | 10.38 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 10.37 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 10.37 million hectares | +0.0% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 10.37 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 378,820 hectares, 27.4× the median. (71 countries reporting)
- France's 10.37 million hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 968,416 hectares, 10.7× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 13.48 million hectares | 13.11 million hectares | 13.91 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 13.42 million hectares | 12.91 million hectares | 13.93 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.29 million hectares | 11.78 million hectares | 12.85 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.95 million hectares | 10.43 million hectares | 11.60 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.99 million hectares | 9.74 million hectares | 10.31 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.46 million hectares | 9.23 million hectares | 9.61 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.38 million hectares | 10.37 million hectares | 10.40 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near France
More reference data data for France
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 22.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 22.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 18.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 11.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 14.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 106.68 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.3 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area of permanent meadows and pastures in France?
- Area of permanent meadows and pastures in France was 10.37 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 13.93 million hectares in 1971.
- What is the lowest area of permanent meadows and pastures recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.23 million hectares in 2017.
- How does France rank for area of permanent meadows and pastures?
- France ranks 52nd out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is area of permanent meadows and pastures rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France 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.