In 2024, the average price of one hectare of arable land in the EU stood at €15,224. This figure was 38 times higher than the average annual rental price, which amounted to €403 per hectare of arable land.
Among the 23 EU countries for which 2024 data are available, the price of one hectare of arable land ranged from an average low of €4,825 in Latvia to an average high of €201,263 in Malta. The Maltese figures reflect the very limited availability of agricultural land and strong pressure from alternative land uses, which push prices far above those observed in other EU countries.
© Eurostat - Comisión Europea
At regional level, the highest arable land prices were recorded in Flevoland, in the Netherlands, with an average of €187,109 per hectare. By contrast, the lowest prices were observed in the Swedish region of Övre Norrland, where arable land averaged €1,933 per hectare.
Across the EU, purchasing arable land was generally more expensive than buying permanent grassland. The EU average price for arable land in 2024 was €15,224 per hectare, compared with €11,753 per hectare for permanent grassland. Arable land was more expensive than permanent grassland in all countries except Luxembourg, and in almost all regions.
Permanent grassland was cheapest in Bulgaria, at €1,877 per hectare in 2024, roughly 4.5 times less than the equivalent price of arable land (€8,679 per hectare). The largest percentage gap between permanent grassland and arable land prices was recorded in the Greek region of Voreio Aigaio, where arable land cost around twenty times more than permanent grassland (€36,968 per hectare compared with €1,775 per hectare). In absolute terms, the largest price difference was observed in Vienna, where permanent grassland averaged €56,700 per hectare, compared with an average of €180,000 per hectare for arable land.
Rental prices: wide variation across the EU
Not all land is owned by the farmer who works it. Many farmers rent land as a short or long term business decision, and, as with land purchase prices, rental costs vary widely between countries and regions.
Across the EU as a whole, the average rental price for arable land and or permanent grassland was €295 per hectare in 2024. Renting one hectare of arable land and or permanent grassland was most expensive in the Netherlands, with an average of €941 per hectare, followed by Denmark (€580) and Greece (€509).
The lowest rental prices were reported in Slovakia, with an average of €69 per hectare, followed by Croatia (€76) and Malta (€92). In Malta, rental prices reflect a government imposed cap under the Agricultural Leases (Reletting) Act.
At regional level, renting one hectare of arable land and or permanent grassland in 2024 was most expensive in the Spanish region of the Canary Islands, with an average of €2,785 per hectare. This was followed by Flevoland (€1,825 per hectare) and North Brabant (€1,098 per hectare) in the Netherlands. By contrast, the lowest rental prices were recorded in Mellersta Norrland and Övre Norrland in Sweden, both averaging €36 per hectare in 2024. These were followed by Stredné Slovensko (€43 per hectare) and Východné Slovensko (€44 per hectare) in Slovakia. In these regions, permanent grassland represents the dominant agricultural land use.
Among the EU countries that reported separate rental prices for arable land and permanent grassland, renting permanent grassland was consistently cheaper than renting arable land. In 2024, the rental price for one hectare of permanent grassland ranged from an average low of €38 in Slovakia to an average high of €407 in Ireland. The equivalent range for arable land ran from an average of €82 per hectare in Slovakia to €540 per hectare in Ireland.
© Eurostat - Comisión Europea
Source: ec.europa.eu/eurostat
