Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Nigeria
Nigeria: Area of permanent meadows and pastures was 25.17 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
25.17 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
31st
of 209 countries
All-time high
27.00 million hectares
in 1961
All-time low
23.47 million hectares
in 2009
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Nigeria, 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 Nigeria is 25.17 million hectares, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area of permanent meadows and pastures in Nigeria peaked at 27.00 million hectares in 1961 and was at its lowest, 23.47 million hectares, in 2009.
Nigeria ranks 31st of 209 countries on this measure, 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 Nigeria, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 27.00 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 27.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 27.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 27.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 27.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 27.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 27.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 27.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 27.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 27.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 27.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 27.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 27.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 27.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 27.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 27.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 26.68 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1978 | 26.64 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 26.60 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 26.57 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 26.53 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 26.49 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 26.45 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 26.41 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 26.37 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 26.33 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 26.29 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 26.25 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 26.21 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 26.64 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 26.14 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 26.10 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 26.06 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 26.02 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 25.98 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 25.94 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 25.90 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 25.86 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 24.86 million hectares | -3.9% |
| 2000 | 24.71 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 24.02 million hectares | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 24.02 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 24.04 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 24.05 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 24.07 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 24.18 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 24.30 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 24.32 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 23.47 million hectares | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 24.55 million hectares | +4.6% |
| 2011 | 24.67 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 24.79 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 24.91 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 25.03 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 25.14 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 25.26 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 25.28 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 25.17 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 24.87 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 25.02 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 25.17 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 25.17 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 25.17 million hectares | +0.0% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 25.17 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.83 million hectares, 8.9× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 25.17 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.90 million hectares, 3.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 27.00 million hectares | 27.00 million hectares | 27.00 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 26.89 million hectares | 26.60 million hectares | 27.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 26.39 million hectares | 26.21 million hectares | 26.57 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 25.95 million hectares | 24.86 million hectares | 26.64 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.12 million hectares | 23.47 million hectares | 24.71 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.97 million hectares | 24.55 million hectares | 25.28 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.13 million hectares | 25.02 million hectares | 25.17 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More reference data data for Nigeria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 19.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 81.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 121.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 14.27 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area of permanent meadows and pastures in Nigeria?
- Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Nigeria was 25.17 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 27.00 million hectares in 1961.
- What is the lowest area of permanent meadows and pastures recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.47 million hectares in 2009.
- How does Nigeria rank for area of permanent meadows and pastures?
- Nigeria ranks 31st out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is area of permanent meadows and pastures rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.