Land under cereal production in European Union
European Union: Land under cereal production was 20.35 million hectares in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
20.35 million hectares
Change on year
down 60.1%
Rank
1st
of 2 groups
All-time high
61.25 million hectares
in 1962
All-time low
20.35 million hectares
in 2024
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Land under cereal production in European Union, 1961–2024
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for land under cereal production in European Union is 20.35 million hectares, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 64 years on record.
That represents a change of down 60.1% on the previous year and down 63.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land under cereal production in European Union peaked at 61.25 million hectares in 1962 and was at its lowest, 20.35 million hectares, in 2024.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Land under cereal production in European Union, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 61.13 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 61.25 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 60.58 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 1964 | 60.63 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 60.21 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1966 | 59.40 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1967 | 59.35 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 60.22 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 1969 | 60.26 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 59.06 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 1971 | 59.50 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 59.72 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1973 | 58.57 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 1974 | 58.95 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 58.42 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1976 | 58.63 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 57.70 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1978 | 58.82 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1979 | 58.33 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1980 | 58.56 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 57.55 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 1982 | 57.86 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 57.47 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 57.93 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 57.21 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1986 | 57.12 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 56.18 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1988 | 56.13 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 56.36 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 54.85 million hectares | -2.7% |
| 1991 | 55.44 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 56.72 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 57.66 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 57.41 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 57.39 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 57.81 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 60.09 million hectares | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 58.93 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 56.33 million hectares | -4.4% |
| 2000 | 58.22 million hectares | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 58.98 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 58.49 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 56.12 million hectares | -4.0% |
| 2004 | 58.47 million hectares | +4.2% |
| 2005 | 57.27 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 55.29 million hectares | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 54.86 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 58.01 million hectares | +5.7% |
| 2009 | 56.45 million hectares | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 53.58 million hectares | -5.1% |
| 2011 | 54.01 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 55.05 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 55.10 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 55.12 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 54.65 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 54.06 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 52.52 million hectares | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 52.38 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 53.68 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 52.24 million hectares | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 52.53 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 51.46 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 50.95 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 20.35 million hectares | -60.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 60.34 million hectares | 59.35 million hectares | 61.25 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 58.77 million hectares | 57.70 million hectares | 59.72 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 57.24 million hectares | 56.13 million hectares | 58.56 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 57.26 million hectares | 54.85 million hectares | 60.09 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 57.22 million hectares | 54.86 million hectares | 58.98 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.02 million hectares | 52.38 million hectares | 55.12 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 45.51 million hectares | 20.35 million hectares | 52.53 million hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near European Union
- 1 India 107.67 million hectares compare
- 2 China 99.99 million hectares compare
- 3 United States 54.08 million hectares compare
- 4 Russian Federation 43.17 million hectares compare
More agriculture & rural data for European Union
- Rural population, per capita 0.2483 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 346.42 billion current US$ (2025)
- Rural population 112.00 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.4% (2025)
- Rural population 24.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.3% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0163 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 767.89 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land under cereal production in European Union?
- Land under cereal production in European Union was 20.35 million hectares in 2024, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest land under cereal production recorded in European Union?
- The highest recorded value was 61.25 million hectares in 1962.
- What is the lowest land under cereal production recorded in European Union?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.35 million hectares in 2024.
- How does European Union rank for land under cereal production?
- European Union ranks 1st out of 2 groups with data for 2024.
- Is land under cereal production rising or falling in European Union?
- Over the last ten years it is down 63.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this European Union data come from?
- The figures come from FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Land under cereal production (hectares). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Land under cereal production refers to harvested area, although some countries report only sown or cultivated area. Cereals include wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains. 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 and those used for grazing are excluded.