Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Italy
Italy: Area of permanent meadows and pastures was 3.60 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
3.60 million hectares
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
73rd
of 209 countries
All-time high
5.25 million hectares
in 1970
All-time low
3.04 million hectares
in 2021
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Italy, 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 Italy stood at 3.60 million hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and down 20.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area of permanent meadows and pastures in Italy peaked at 5.25 million hectares in 1970 and was at its lowest, 3.04 million hectares, in 2021.
Italy ranks 73rd of 209 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.
Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Italy, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 5.08 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 5.08 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 5.09 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 5.09 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1965 | 5.14 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1966 | 5.15 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 5.17 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 5.16 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1969 | 5.23 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 5.25 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 5.24 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 5.20 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1973 | 5.25 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 5.21 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1975 | 5.20 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 5.18 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 5.17 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 5.17 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 5.16 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 5.13 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 5.13 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 5.12 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 4.99 million hectares | -2.5% |
| 1984 | 5.01 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 4.98 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 4.94 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 4.94 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1988 | 4.86 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 4.88 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 4.87 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 4.20 million hectares | -13.6% |
| 1992 | 4.35 million hectares | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 4.53 million hectares | +4.2% |
| 1994 | 4.56 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 4.41 million hectares | -3.4% |
| 1996 | 4.34 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 4.37 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 4.35 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 4.38 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 4.35 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 4.37 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 4.38 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 4.37 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 4.35 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 4.40 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 4.28 million hectares | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 4.46 million hectares | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 4.42 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 4.42 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 4.70 million hectares | +6.2% |
| 2011 | 4.61 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 4.17 million hectares | -9.6% |
| 2013 | 4.54 million hectares | +9.0% |
| 2014 | 4.04 million hectares | -11.0% |
| 2015 | 3.90 million hectares | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 3.66 million hectares | -6.0% |
| 2017 | 3.61 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 3.25 million hectares | -10.1% |
| 2019 | 3.79 million hectares | +16.9% |
| 2020 | 3.13 million hectares | -17.4% |
| 2021 | 3.04 million hectares | -2.9% |
| 2022 | 3.53 million hectares | +16.0% |
| 2023 | 3.60 million hectares | +2.1% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 3.60 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 378,820 hectares, 9.5× the median. (71 countries reporting)
- Italy's 3.60 million hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 968,416 hectares, 3.7× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.13 million hectares | 5.08 million hectares | 5.23 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 5.20 million hectares | 5.16 million hectares | 5.25 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.00 million hectares | 4.86 million hectares | 5.13 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.44 million hectares | 4.20 million hectares | 4.87 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.38 million hectares | 4.28 million hectares | 4.46 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.03 million hectares | 3.25 million hectares | 4.70 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.33 million hectares | 3.04 million hectares | 3.60 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More reference data data for Italy
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 8.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.927 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 8.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 8.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 41.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 5.05 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area of permanent meadows and pastures in Italy?
- Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Italy was 3.60 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 Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 5.25 million hectares in 1970.
- What is the lowest area of permanent meadows and pastures recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.04 million hectares in 2021.
- How does Italy rank for area of permanent meadows and pastures?
- Italy ranks 73rd out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is area of permanent meadows and pastures rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Italy 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.