Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Iceland
Iceland: Area of permanent meadows and pastures was 1.52 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Iceland, 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 Iceland stood at 1.52 million hectares. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 13.4% on the previous year and down 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area of permanent meadows and pastures in Iceland peaked at 2.00 million hectares in 1961 and was at its lowest, 1.52 million hectares, in 2023.
That places Iceland 93rd out of 208 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.00 million hectares | 2.00 million hectares | 2.00 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.83 million hectares | 1.78 million hectares | 1.88 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.77 million hectares | 1.76 million hectares | 1.77 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.76 million hectares | 1.76 million hectares | 1.76 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.75 million hectares | 1.75 million hectares | 1.76 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.75 million hectares | 1.75 million hectares | 1.75 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.69 million hectares | 1.52 million hectares | 1.75 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More reference data data for Iceland
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- Summer temperature anomalies 0.1076 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.09 °C (2026)
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- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.653 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 3.5 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 179.82 2010 = 100 (2025)
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- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
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Frequently asked questions
- What is area of permanent meadows and pastures in Iceland?
- Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Iceland was 1.52 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.00 million hectares in 1961.
- What is the lowest area of permanent meadows and pastures recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.52 million hectares in 2023.
- How does Iceland rank for area of permanent meadows and pastures?
- Iceland ranks 93rd out of 208 countries with data for 2023.
- Is area of permanent meadows and pastures rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland 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.