Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Ireland
Ireland: Cereals, primary — Area harvested was 258,930 ha in 2024. ▼ Falling
Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Ireland, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 258,930 ha for cereals, primary — area harvested in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 64 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.9% on the previous year and down 15.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals, primary — area harvested in Ireland peaked at 444,000 ha in 1980 and was at its lowest, 258,930 ha, in 2024.
That places Ireland 113th out of 178 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Ireland, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 435,435 ha | — |
| 1962 | 432,097 ha | -0.8% |
| 1963 | 402,746 ha | -6.8% |
| 1964 | 387,957 ha | -3.7% |
| 1965 | 377,250 ha | -2.8% |
| 1966 | 338,713 ha | -10.2% |
| 1967 | 356,167 ha | +5.2% |
| 1968 | 362,476 ha | +1.8% |
| 1969 | 357,940 ha | -1.3% |
| 1970 | 377,288 ha | +5.4% |
| 1971 | 386,391 ha | +2.4% |
| 1972 | 372,110 ha | -3.7% |
| 1973 | 351,351 ha | -5.6% |
| 1974 | 347,988 ha | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 338,972 ha | -2.6% |
| 1976 | 349,855 ha | +3.2% |
| 1977 | 372,500 ha | +6.5% |
| 1978 | 387,839 ha | +4.1% |
| 1979 | 400,942 ha | +3.4% |
| 1980 | 444,000 ha | +10.7% |
| 1981 | 429,000 ha | -3.4% |
| 1982 | 412,500 ha | -3.8% |
| 1983 | 395,300 ha | -4.2% |
| 1984 | 406,800 ha | +2.9% |
| 1985 | 400,100 ha | -1.6% |
| 1986 | 364,500 ha | -8.9% |
| 1987 | 335,300 ha | -8.0% |
| 1988 | 324,100 ha | -3.3% |
| 1989 | 320,000 ha | -1.3% |
| 1990 | 298,874 ha | -6.6% |
| 1991 | 301,800 ha | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 300,508 ha | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 285,112 ha | -5.1% |
| 1994 | 270,214 ha | -5.2% |
| 1995 | 274,115 ha | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 293,716 ha | +7.2% |
| 1997 | 310,116 ha | +5.6% |
| 1998 | 300,717 ha | -3.0% |
| 1999 | 290,017 ha | -3.6% |
| 2000 | 279,318 ha | -3.7% |
| 2001 | 286,118 ha | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 299,519 ha | +4.7% |
| 2003 | 303,119 ha | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 310,418 ha | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 282,115 ha | -9.1% |
| 2006 | 280,012 ha | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 279,109 ha | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 322,307 ha | +15.5% |
| 2009 | 300,004 ha | -6.9% |
| 2010 | 274,102 ha | -8.6% |
| 2011 | 297,600 ha | +8.6% |
| 2012 | 315,595 ha | +6.0% |
| 2013 | 307,995 ha | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 306,894 ha | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 292,594 ha | -4.7% |
| 2016 | 281,290 ha | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 272,627 ha | -3.1% |
| 2018 | 260,970 ha | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 266,660 ha | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 265,640 ha | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 274,670 ha | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 285,660 ha | +4.0% |
| 2023 | 269,360 ha | -5.7% |
| 2024 | 258,930 ha | -3.9% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 258,930 ha is below the median for high income countries, which is 280,960 ha, 92% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 258,930 ha is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 726,060 ha, 36% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 383,420 ha | 338,713 ha | 435,435 ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 368,524 ha | 338,972 ha | 400,942 ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 383,160 ha | 320,000 ha | 444,000 ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 292,519 ha | 270,214 ha | 310,116 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 294,204 ha | 279,109 ha | 322,307 ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 287,633 ha | 260,970 ha | 315,595 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 270,852 ha | 258,930 ha | 285,660 ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More agriculture & rural data for Ireland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 22.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0106 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,391 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.9559 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3541 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereals, primary — area harvested in Ireland?
- Cereals, primary — area harvested in Ireland was 258,930 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest cereals, primary — area harvested recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 444,000 ha in 1980.
- What is the lowest cereals, primary — area harvested recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 258,930 ha in 2024.
- How does Ireland rank for cereals, primary — area harvested?
- Ireland ranks 113th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cereals, primary — area harvested rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Cereals, primary — Area harvested. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
Crop and livestock statistics are recorded for 278 products, covering the following categories: 1) CROPS PRIMARY: Cereals, Citrus Fruit, Fibre Crops, Fruit, Oil Crops, Oil Crops and Cakes in Oil Equivalent, Pulses, Roots and Tubers, Sugar Crops, Treenuts and Vegetables. Data are expressed in terms of area harvested, production quantity and yield. Cereals: Area and production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed or silage or used for grazing are therefore excluded. 2) CROPS PROCESSED: Beer of barley; Cotton lint; Cottonseed; Margarine, short; Molasses; Oil, coconut (copra); Oil, cottonseed; Oil, groundnut; Oil, linseed; Oil, maize; Oil, olive, virgin; Oil, palm; Oil, palm kernel; Oil, rapeseed; Oil, safflower; Oil, sesame; Oil, soybean; Oil, sunflower; Palm kernels; Sugar Raw Centrifugal; Wine. 3) LIVE ANIMALS: Animals live n.e.s.; Asses; Beehives; Buffaloes; Camelids, other; Camels; Cattle; Chickens; Ducks; Geese and guinea fowls; Goats; Horses; Mules; Pigeons, other birds; Pigs; Rabbits and hares; Rodents, other; Sheep; Turkeys. 4) LIVESTOCK PRIMARY: Beeswax; Eggs (various types); Hides buffalo, fresh; Hides, cattle, fresh; Honey, natural; Meat (ass, bird nes, buffalo, camel, cattle, chicken, duck, game, goat, goose and guinea fowl, horse, mule, Meat nes, meat other camelids, Meat other rodents, pig, rabbit, sheep, turkey); Milk (buffalo, camel, cow, goat, sheep); Offals, nes; Silk-worm cocoons, reelable; Skins (goat, sheep); Snails, not sea; Wool, greasy. 5) LIVESTOCK PROCESSED: Butter (of milk from sheep, goat, buffalo, cow); Cheese (of milk from goat, buffalo, sheep, cow milk); Cheese of skimmed cow milk; Cream fresh; Ghee (cow and buffalo milk); Lard; Milk (dry buttermilk, skimmed condensed, skimmed cow, skimmed dried, skimmed evaporated, whole condensed, whole dried, whole evaporated); Silk raw; Tallow; Whey (condensed and dry); Yoghurt.