The land area used for organic agricultural production in the EU continues to increase. The total area grew from 14.7 million hectares in 2020 to 15.9 million ha in 2021, the equivalent of 9.9% of the total UAA in the EU.
Between 2012 and 2021, the area used for organic farming increased in almost all EU countries. The area almost quadrupled in Portugal (+283%) and Croatia (+282%), the strongest increases within the EU. It also grew rapidly in France (+169%) and also more than doubled in Hungary (+125%) and Romania (+101%).
The highest share of organic farming areas within the total UAA was in Austria (26% in 2020), Estonia (23% in 2021) and Sweden (20% in 2021). In contrast, the share of organic farming in 2021 was less than 5% in six EU countries, with the lowest shares in Bulgaria (1.7%) and Malta (0.6%). In Belgium, organic farming accounts for an area of 102,413 hectares, accounting for 7.49% of the total area of cultivated land.
