Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Spain
Spain: Area of permanent meadows and pastures was 9.89 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
9.89 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
55th
of 209 countries
All-time high
12.50 million hectares
in 1961
All-time low
9.23 million hectares
in 2016
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Spain, 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 Spain is 9.89 million hectares, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area of permanent meadows and pastures in Spain peaked at 12.50 million hectares in 1961 and was at its lowest, 9.23 million hectares, in 2016.
Spain ranks 55th 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 Spain, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 12.50 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 12.40 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1963 | 12.30 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1964 | 12.20 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1965 | 12.10 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1966 | 12.00 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 11.90 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1968 | 11.80 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1969 | 11.70 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 11.60 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1971 | 11.50 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1972 | 11.40 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 11.30 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 11.19 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 11.09 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1976 | 10.86 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 1977 | 10.99 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 10.90 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 10.83 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 10.74 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 10.72 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 10.70 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 10.28 million hectares | -3.9% |
| 1984 | 10.12 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1985 | 10.30 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 10.19 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1987 | 10.21 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 10.21 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1989 | 10.38 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 10.30 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 10.28 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 10.33 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 10.38 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 10.69 million hectares | +3.0% |
| 1995 | 10.97 million hectares | +2.6% |
| 1996 | 10.99 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 11.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 11.44 million hectares | +4.0% |
| 1999 | 11.45 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 11.46 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 11.48 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 11.53 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 11.17 million hectares | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 11.11 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 11.32 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 11.04 million hectares | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 10.61 million hectares | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 10.87 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 10.75 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 10.32 million hectares | -4.0% |
| 2011 | 10.02 million hectares | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 9.40 million hectares | -6.2% |
| 2013 | 9.60 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 9.39 million hectares | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 9.39 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 9.23 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 9.31 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 9.41 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 9.45 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 9.50 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 9.62 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 9.89 million hectares | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 9.89 million hectares | +0.0% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 9.89 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 378,820 hectares, 26.1× the median. (71 countries reporting)
- Spain's 9.89 million hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 968,416 hectares, 10.2× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 12.10 million hectares | 11.70 million hectares | 12.50 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 11.17 million hectares | 10.83 million hectares | 11.60 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.38 million hectares | 10.12 million hectares | 10.74 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.78 million hectares | 10.28 million hectares | 11.45 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.13 million hectares | 10.61 million hectares | 11.53 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.55 million hectares | 9.23 million hectares | 10.32 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.72 million hectares | 9.50 million hectares | 9.89 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More reference data data for Spain
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.898 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.06 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 52.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.89 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area of permanent meadows and pastures in Spain?
- Area of permanent meadows and pastures in Spain was 9.89 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 12.50 million hectares in 1961.
- What is the lowest area of permanent meadows and pastures recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.23 million hectares in 2016.
- How does Spain rank for area of permanent meadows and pastures?
- Spain ranks 55th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is area of permanent meadows and pastures rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain 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.