M. Shahbandeh
Research expert covering agriculture & FMCG
Organic food market in Europe - statistics & facts
Europe has the second largest share of organic agricultural land in the world, only behind Oceania. Even though sales are booming, the state of organic production is yet to catch up with demand: organic farmland as a proportion of all farmland area rarely exceeds 15 percent in most European countries. Liechtenstein has the largest portion of organic farmable area in Europe, with over 43 percent. Area for organic agriculture is steadily increasing, with 18.5 million hectares of farmable land.
Organic retail market in Europe
Germany and France have the highest retail sales for organic agricultural products in Europe, with about 15.4 and 12 billion Euros in sales, respectively. Denmark has the highest share of organic retail sales, followed by Austria and Switzerland. Since 2013, the UK has seen a large amount of retail growth in organic food and is projected to reach a retail value of over 1.3 billion British pounds in 2024.Consumer trends
Although Germany has the largest organic market, the highest levels of per capita consumption can be found in Switzerland and Denmark. The average per capita expenditure in the European Union is about 102 euros. Among European consumers, some popular reasons for buying organic foods include health reasons, and to avoid pesticides or other sprays, among others. Although many consumers want to support organic, they might not be willing to tolerate higher price tags. When surveyed in 2023, the majority of respondents i the EU stated that the importance of food prices had increased over the past 12 months. This could be the main reason why consumers in most of the European countries were planning to purchase less organic and bio products. This trend may continue if some price adjusment doesn't take place.
