Arable land in Italy
Italy: Arable land was 7.08 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
7.08 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
35th
of 206 countries
All-time high
12.86 million hectares
in 1961
All-time low
6.60 million hectares
in 2015
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land in Italy, 1961–2023
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for arable land in Italy is 7.08 million hectares, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Italy peaked at 12.86 million hectares in 1961 and was at its lowest, 6.60 million hectares, in 2015.
Italy ranks 35th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in Italy, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 12.86 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 12.79 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1963 | 12.67 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1964 | 12.60 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1965 | 12.52 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1966 | 12.44 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1967 | 12.39 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1968 | 12.35 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 12.22 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1970 | 11.98 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 1971 | 9.51 million hectares | -20.6% |
| 1972 | 9.39 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1973 | 9.29 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 1974 | 9.32 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 9.33 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 9.36 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 9.36 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 9.45 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 9.48 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 9.48 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 9.47 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 9.46 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 9.13 million hectares | -3.5% |
| 1984 | 9.10 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 9.05 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 9.09 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 9.06 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 8.96 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1989 | 8.99 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 9.01 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 8.90 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 8.75 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 8.55 million hectares | -2.3% |
| 1994 | 8.33 million hectares | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 8.28 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 8.33 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 8.25 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 8.33 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 8.54 million hectares | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 8.48 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 8.34 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 8.29 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 7.96 million hectares | -4.0% |
| 2004 | 7.98 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 7.78 million hectares | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 7.38 million hectares | -5.2% |
| 2007 | 7.17 million hectares | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 7.50 million hectares | +4.6% |
| 2009 | 6.98 million hectares | -6.9% |
| 2010 | 7.04 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 6.72 million hectares | -4.6% |
| 2012 | 7.12 million hectares | +5.9% |
| 2013 | 6.83 million hectares | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 6.73 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 6.60 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 6.70 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 6.74 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 6.72 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 6.91 million hectares | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 7.20 million hectares | +4.1% |
| 2021 | 7.19 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 7.08 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 7.08 million hectares | +0.0% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 7.08 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 178,890 hectares, 39.6× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Italy's 7.08 million hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.32 million hectares, 5.4× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 12.54 million hectares | 12.22 million hectares | 12.86 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 9.65 million hectares | 9.29 million hectares | 11.98 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.18 million hectares | 8.96 million hectares | 9.48 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.53 million hectares | 8.25 million hectares | 9.01 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.78 million hectares | 6.98 million hectares | 8.48 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.81 million hectares | 6.60 million hectares | 7.12 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.14 million hectares | 7.08 million hectares | 7.20 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More agriculture & rural data for Italy
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.12 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0207 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 894.54 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.3131 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3032 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Italy?
- Arable land in Italy was 7.08 million hectares in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest arable land recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 12.86 million hectares in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.60 million hectares in 2015.
- How does Italy rank for arable land?
- Italy ranks 35th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Italy data come from?
- The figures come from FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Arable land (hectares). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Arable land (in hectares) includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded.