What is area of permanent meadows and pastures in Ireland?

Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Ireland was 3.75 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 Ireland?

The highest recorded value was 4.38 million hectares in 1988.

What is the lowest area of permanent meadows and pastures recorded in Ireland?

The lowest recorded value was 3.75 million hectares in 2023.

How does Ireland rank for area of permanent meadows and pastures?

Ireland ranks 71st out of 208 countries with data for 2023.

Is area of permanent meadows and pastures rising or falling in Ireland?

Over the last ten years it is down 6.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this Ireland 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.

Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Ireland

Name: Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Ireland
Creator: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Ireland: Area of permanent meadows and pastures was 3.75 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)

3.75 million hectares

Change on year

down 3.9%

World rank

71st

of 208 countries

All-time high

4.38 million hectares

in 1988

All-time low

3.75 million hectares

in 2023

Years of data

1961–2023

Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Ireland, 1961–2023

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

Ireland recorded 3.75 million hectares for area of permanent meadows and pastures in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.

That represents a change of down 3.9% on the previous year and down 6.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, area of permanent meadows and pastures in Ireland peaked at 4.38 million hectares in 1988 and was at its lowest, 3.75 million hectares, in 2023.

Ireland ranks 71st of 208 countries on this measure, 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	4.13 million hectares	3.90 million hectares	4.30 million hectares	9
1970s	4.35 million hectares	4.26 million hectares	4.38 million hectares	10
1980s	4.36 million hectares	4.26 million hectares	4.38 million hectares	10
1990s	3.99 million hectares	3.91 million hectares	4.14 million hectares	10
2000s	3.90 million hectares	3.78 million hectares	4.14 million hectares	10
2010s	4.04 million hectares	3.98 million hectares	4.13 million hectares	10
2020s	3.90 million hectares	3.75 million hectares	4.07 million hectares	4

Countries ranked near Ireland

68 Germany 4.70 million hectares compare
69 Iraq 3.98 million hectares compare
70 Romania 3.90 million hectares compare
72 Italy 3.60 million hectares compare
73 Nicaragua 3.29 million hectares compare
74 Poland 3.01 million hectares compare

See the full ranking of 210 places →

More reference data data for Ireland

Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.45 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.19 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.37 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0921 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.37 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.87 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.37 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.6 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.02 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.5015 (2050)

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is area of permanent meadows and pastures in Ireland?: Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Ireland was 3.75 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 Ireland?: The highest recorded value was 4.38 million hectares in 1988.
What is the lowest area of permanent meadows and pastures recorded in Ireland?: The lowest recorded value was 3.75 million hectares in 2023.
How does Ireland rank for area of permanent meadows and pastures?: Ireland ranks 71st out of 208 countries with data for 2023.
Is area of permanent meadows and pastures rising or falling in Ireland?: Over the last ten years it is down 6.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ireland 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

Indicator: Area of permanent meadows and pastures
Unit: hectares
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 210 places, 12,094 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

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.