In 2022, the average price of one hectare of arable land in the EU was €10 578. This average price was 45 times more than the average annual rental price of €233 per hectare. Among the 21 EU Member States for which 2022 data are available, the price of one hectare of arable land varied from a low of €3 700 on average in Croatia to €233 230 on average in Malta. Latvia's arable land was the second-cheapest in the EU at €4 420 per hectare. In Lithuania the price was €5 012 and in Estonia it was €5 730.
At the regional level, the highest prices for arable land were in the Dutch region of Flevoland (an average €150 644 per hectare). By contrast, the lowest was in the Swedish region of Övre Norrland (an average €2 041).
Not all land is owned by the farmer working it. Many farmers rent their land. Renting one hectare of arable land and/or permanent grassland was most expensive in the Netherlands (€843 per hectare in 2022) followed by Denmark (€561 per hectare) and Greece (€486 per hectare). Agricultural land rental prices in 2022 were lowest in Slovakia (€57 per hectare), Croatia (€74 per hectare) and Malta (€89 per hectare) with Latvia slightly more expensive at €92 per hectare.
Among the EU's regions, renting one hectare of agricultural land was most expensive in 2022 in the Dutch region of Flevoland (€1 764 per hectare), followed by Canarias in Spain (€1 136 per hectare) and Attiki in Greece (€1 048 per hectare).
In contrast, rental prices were lowest in Mellersta Norrland and Övre Norrland (both €24 per hectare) in Sweden, followed by Stredné Slovensko and Východné Slovensko (both €39) in Slovakia. Permanent grasslands are the main agricultural land use in those regions.
Among EU countries that reported specific rental prices for arable land and for permanent grassland, renting permanent grassland was almost always cheaper than renting arable land. The rent for one hectare of permanent grassland in 2022 ranged from a low of €32 on average in Slovakia to €354 on average in Ireland, the respective rental prices for arable land being €77 and €510 per hectare on average.
