The area of agricultural land in the European Union (EU) used for organic farming continued to increase in 2023, to 17.7 million hectares, representing 10.9% of the total farmland, a new study revealed.
In 2023, 19.5 million hectares of farmland in Europe were organically farmed, including 17.7 million hectares within the EU, according to the latest data from FiBL (the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture).
With 3.0 million hectares of organic farmland, Spain surpassed France to claim the top spot as the country with the largest area of organic farmland in the EU.
France placed second, with 2.8 million hectares, while Italy ranked third, with 2.5 million hectares.
Organic farmland increased by 3.6% in the EU and 4.1% in Europe in 2023, with Spain and Ukraine reporting the biggest increases, with an additional 0.3 million hectares and 0.2 million hectares, respectively.
Other Findings
In 2023, organic farmland in Europe constituted 3.9% of the total agricultural land, while it accounted for 10.9% in the EU.
Among European countries and globally, Liechtenstein had the highest organic area share, at 44.6%, followed by Austria – also the EU country with the highest organic share – at 27.3%.
Sixteen European countries reported that at least 10% of their farmland was organic.
The number of organic producers in Europe was almost 495,000, while in the EU, this figure stood at 435,000, representing year-on-year increases of 1.4% and 1.8%, respectively.
Italy had the highest number of organic producers, at 84,191.
In terms of processors of organic goods, there were 94,627 in Europe, while the EU had 89,379.
Italy had the highest number of processors – nearly 25,000 – while Germany led in the number of organic importers, with almost 2,000.
Retail Performance
In 2023, retail sales of organic products in Europe amounted to €54.7 billion, including €46.5 billion within the EU.
Germany retained its spot as the largest market, with sales reaching €16.1 billion.
Globally, the EU was the second-largest single market for organic products, after the United States, which reported sales of €59.0 billion, the data showed.
In 2023, European consumers spent an average of €66 per head on organic food.
Swiss and Danish consumers spent the most on organic food, with €437 and €362 per capita, respectively.
Consumer spending on organic food, per capita, doubled in the decade from 2014 to 2023.
The year also saw European countries continuing to achieve the highest organic market shares worldwide, with Denmark in the leading position, with a market share of 11.8%, followed closely by Switzerland, at 11.6%.
