Area of permanent meadows and pastures in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Area of permanent meadows and pastures was 10.92 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
10.92 million hectares
Change on year
down 3.6%
World rank
50th
of 209 countries
All-time high
12.51 million hectares
in 1961
All-time low
10.92 million hectares
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Area of permanent meadows and pastures in United Kingdom, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 10.92 million hectares for area of permanent meadows and pastures in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 3.6% on the previous year and down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area of permanent meadows and pastures in United Kingdom peaked at 12.51 million hectares in 1961 and was at its lowest, 10.92 million hectares, in 2023.
That places United Kingdom 50th out of 209 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 12.51 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 12.43 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1963 | 12.35 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 12.23 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 12.14 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1966 | 12.12 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 12.14 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 12.04 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1969 | 12.12 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 11.65 million hectares | -3.9% |
| 1971 | 11.62 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 11.54 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1973 | 11.53 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1974 | 11.48 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 11.63 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 11.59 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 11.49 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1978 | 11.46 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 11.54 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 11.47 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 11.34 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 11.29 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 11.25 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 11.21 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 11.11 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1986 | 11.12 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 11.11 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 11.47 million hectares | +3.2% |
| 1989 | 11.54 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 11.52 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 11.51 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 11.45 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 11.38 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 11.44 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 11.39 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 11.34 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 11.16 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 11.21 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 11.25 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 11.04 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 11.25 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 11.14 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 11.25 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 11.18 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 11.18 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 11.70 million hectares | +4.6% |
| 2007 | 11.52 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 11.63 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 11.23 million hectares | -3.4% |
| 2010 | 11.21 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 11.06 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 10.92 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 10.94 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 10.95 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 11.08 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 11.28 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 11.34 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 11.27 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 11.39 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 11.24 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 11.16 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 11.33 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 10.92 million hectares | -3.6% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 10.92 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 378,820 hectares, 28.8× the median. (71 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 10.92 million hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 968,416 hectares, 11.3× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 12.23 million hectares | 12.04 million hectares | 12.51 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 11.55 million hectares | 11.46 million hectares | 11.65 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.29 million hectares | 11.11 million hectares | 11.54 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.36 million hectares | 11.16 million hectares | 11.52 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.31 million hectares | 11.04 million hectares | 11.70 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.14 million hectares | 10.92 million hectares | 11.39 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.16 million hectares | 10.92 million hectares | 11.33 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More reference data data for United Kingdom
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.97 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 59.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 5.48 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area of permanent meadows and pastures in United Kingdom?
- Area of permanent meadows and pastures in United Kingdom was 10.92 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 12.51 million hectares in 1961.
- What is the lowest area of permanent meadows and pastures recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.92 million hectares in 2023.
- How does United Kingdom rank for area of permanent meadows and pastures?
- United Kingdom ranks 50th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is area of permanent meadows and pastures rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.