Share of land area used for agriculture in Italy
Italy: Share of land area used for agriculture was 44.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of land area used for agriculture in Italy, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of land area used for agriculture in Italy is 44.3%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and down 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for agriculture in Italy peaked at 70.3% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 41.9%, in 2021.
Italy ranks 83rd 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.
Share of land area used for agriculture in Italy, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 70.3% | — |
| 1962 | 70.2% | -0.1% |
| 1963 | 69.7% | -0.7% |
| 1964 | 69.6% | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 69.5% | -0.1% |
| 1966 | 69.4% | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 69.3% | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 69.2% | -0.1% |
| 1969 | 68.8% | -0.6% |
| 1970 | 68.6% | -0.2% |
| 1971 | 60.0% | -12.5% |
| 1972 | 59.5% | -0.8% |
| 1973 | 59.4% | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 59.5% | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 59.6% | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 59.6% | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 59.5% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 59.8% | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 59.9% | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 59.7% | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 59.7% | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 59.6% | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 58.7% | -1.6% |
| 1984 | 58.6% | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 58.1% | -0.9% |
| 1986 | 57.9% | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 57.8% | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 57.3% | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 57.3% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 57.3% | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 54.6% | -4.7% |
| 1992 | 54.3% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 54.1% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 53.4% | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 52.1% | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 52.2% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 52.2% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 52.6% | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 53.7% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 52.9% | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 52.4% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 51.6% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 50.4% | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 50.3% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 49.8% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 48.0% | -3.6% |
| 2007 | 47.9% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 48.9% | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 47.3% | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 48.5% | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 46.8% | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 46.4% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 46.1% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 44.5% | -3.4% |
| 2015 | 43.8% | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 43.3% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 43.4% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 41.9% | -3.3% |
| 2019 | 44.4% | +5.8% |
| 2020 | 42.3% | -4.6% |
| 2021 | 41.9% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 44.0% | +4.8% |
| 2023 | 44.3% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 69.6% | 68.8% | 70.3% | 9 |
| 1970s | 60.5% | 59.4% | 68.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 58.5% | 57.3% | 59.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 53.7% | 52.1% | 57.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 50.0% | 47.3% | 52.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.9% | 41.9% | 48.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.1% | 41.9% | 44.3% | 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 share of land area used for agriculture in Italy?
- Share of land area used for agriculture in Italy was 44.3% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 70.3% in 1961.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.9% in 2021.
- How does Italy rank for share of land area used for agriculture?
- Italy ranks 83rd out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for agriculture 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 (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land area used for agriculture. 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
The share of land area used for agriculture, measured as a percentage of total land area. Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures.