What European country saw the biggest increase in agricultural output value in 2022?

Estonia reported a 44% increase in the value of its agricultural output in 2022, new data from Eurostat has found.

Overall, agricultural output in the EU was valued at €537.5 billion in basic prices last year, a 19% increase on the previous year, which was largely driven by a sharp rise in the nominal price for agricultural goods and services as a whole, which was up by an estimated +22.8%.

However, the volume of output was actually down year-on-year, by 3.1%.

Sharp increase in value

Other countries to report a significant increase in the value of their agricultural output included Poland (+43%) and Lithuania (+42%), again underpinned by significant price rises.

In 2022, the combined agricultural output of the European Union (EU) was predominantly contributed by seven countries: France, accounting for €97.1 billion (18% of the EU total); Germany, contributing €76.2 billion (14%); Italy, with €71.5 billion (13%); Spain, contributing €63.0 billion (12%); Poland, with €39.5 billion (7%); the Netherlands, contributing €36.1 billion (7%); and Romania, with €22.2 billion (4%).

All EU member states experienced an increase in the value of their agricultural output in 2022 compared to the previous year.

Major players in European agriculture

Several key producers saw the most significant growth, with Germany’s output rising by 30%, the Netherlands by 18%, and France and Italy by 16% each. Spain and Romania also witnessed increases of 10% and 5%, respectively.

Eurostat also reported a 22% increase in EU agricultural and farming input costs unrelated to investment (intermediate consumption) in 2022 compared to 2021.