Projections for global peak agricultural land in Italy
Italy: Projections for global peak agricultural land was 13.09 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
13.09 million hectares
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
63rd
of 227 countries
All-time high
20.68 million hectares
in 1961
All-time low
12.40 million hectares
in 2021
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Projections for global peak agricultural land 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
Italy recorded 13.09 million hectares for projections for global peak agricultural land in 2023.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and down 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, projections for global peak agricultural land in Italy peaked at 20.68 million hectares in 1961 and was at its lowest, 12.40 million hectares, in 2021.
Italy ranks 63rd of 227 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.
Projections for global peak agricultural land in Italy, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 20.68 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 20.65 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1963 | 20.51 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1964 | 20.46 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 20.44 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1966 | 20.41 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 20.38 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 20.36 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1969 | 20.23 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1970 | 20.18 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1971 | 17.65 million hectares | -12.5% |
| 1972 | 17.51 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1973 | 17.48 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 17.50 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 17.52 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 17.53 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 17.50 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 17.59 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 17.61 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 17.56 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 17.55 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 17.54 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 17.26 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1984 | 17.24 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 17.09 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1986 | 17.04 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 17.01 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 16.84 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 16.85 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 16.84 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 16.05 million hectares | -4.7% |
| 1992 | 15.98 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 15.91 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 15.70 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 15.33 million hectares | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 15.35 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 15.35 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 15.48 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 15.80 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 15.64 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 15.50 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 15.27 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 14.91 million hectares | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 14.88 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 14.74 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 14.20 million hectares | -3.6% |
| 2007 | 14.16 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 14.46 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 13.98 million hectares | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 14.33 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 13.85 million hectares | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 13.73 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 13.63 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 13.16 million hectares | -3.4% |
| 2015 | 12.95 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 12.81 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 12.83 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 12.40 million hectares | -3.3% |
| 2019 | 13.12 million hectares | +5.8% |
| 2020 | 12.52 million hectares | -4.6% |
| 2021 | 12.40 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 13.00 million hectares | +4.8% |
| 2023 | 13.09 million hectares | +0.7% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 13.09 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 982,000 hectares, 13.3× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Italy's 13.09 million hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.61 million hectares, 5.0× the median. (54 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 20.46 million hectares | 20.23 million hectares | 20.68 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 17.81 million hectares | 17.48 million hectares | 20.18 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 17.20 million hectares | 16.84 million hectares | 17.56 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.78 million hectares | 15.33 million hectares | 16.84 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.77 million hectares | 13.98 million hectares | 15.64 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.28 million hectares | 12.40 million hectares | 14.33 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.75 million hectares | 12.40 million hectares | 13.09 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More agriculture & rural data for Italy
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.6817 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.1641 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.3673 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 0.2194 hectares per person (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is projections for global peak agricultural land in Italy?
- Projections for global peak agricultural land in Italy was 13.09 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 projections for global peak agricultural land recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 20.68 million hectares in 1961.
- What is the lowest projections for global peak agricultural land recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.40 million hectares in 2021.
- How does Italy rank for projections for global peak agricultural land?
- Italy ranks 63rd out of 227 countries with data for 2023.
- Is projections for global peak agricultural land rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.0%. 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 Projections for global peak agricultural land. 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
Land used for cultivation of crops and animal husbandry. The total of areas under cropland and permanent meadows and pastures.