Country agriculture profile · Europe & Central Asia
Germany
Germany has one of the European Union's largest and most intensive agricultural sectors, combining highly productive arable farming on fertile loess soils with a major livestock economy centred on pigs and dairy. Cropping is dominated by winter cereals, rapeseed, sugar beet and potatoes, while maize is grown extensively for silage and biogas as part of the country's renewable-energy policy. Farming operates within the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and Germany has been a leading force in linking farm support to environmental and climate objectives. Structural contrasts persist between generally larger farms in the former east and smaller, often family-run holdings in the west and south.
Farming systems (stable overview)
Climate zones
- Temperate oceanic
- Temperate continental
- Mountain (Alpine foreland, south)
Agroecological zones
- Northern lowland plain
- Central loess uplands
- Southern hills and Alpine foreland
Dominant crop systems
- Rainfed winter wheat, barley and rye across the northern and central plains
- Winter rapeseed as the leading oilseed
- Sugar beet on fertile loess soils (the Börde regions)
- Potatoes for food, starch and seed
- Silage and grain maize, partly grown for biogas
- Viticulture along the Rhine, Mosel and southern river valleys
Major livestock systems
- Intensive pig production concentrated in the northwest (Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia)
- Dairy cattle in Bavaria, the Alpine foreland and the north
- Poultry for meat and eggs
- Beef cattle largely integrated with dairy herds
Irrigation: Agriculture is overwhelmingly rainfed, with supplemental irrigation used mainly on light sandy soils and for potatoes and horticulture.
Latest verified data
Each value is the most recent available observation, shown with its own year and unit. Figures are periodically revised — treat them as dated, sourced statistics, not evergreen facts.
| Indicator | Value | Unit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural land | 47.47 | % of land area | 2023 |
| Arable land | 33.43 | % of land area | 2023 |
| Cereal yield | 7,007.3 | kg per hectare | 2023 |
| Crop production index | 91.48 | index (2014–2016 = 100) | 2022 |
| Livestock production index | 93.35 | index (2014–2016 = 100) | 2022 |
| Fertilizer consumption | 128.58 | kg per hectare of arable land | 2023 |
| Agriculture value added | 0.91 | % of GDP | 2024 |
| Employment in agriculture(est.) | 1.09 | % of total employment | 2024 |
Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12
Cereal yield over time
Show data table
| Year | kg per hectare |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 6,964.9 |
| 2013 | 7,318 |
| 2014 | 8,050.3 |
| 2015 | 7,497.8 |
| 2016 | 7,182.1 |
| 2017 | 7,269.9 |
| 2018 | 6,178.9 |
| 2019 | 6,952 |
| 2020 | 7,133.3 |
| 2021 | 6,998.1 |
| 2022 | 7,126.1 |
| 2023 | 7,007.3 |
Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12
Derived indicator
Arable land as a share of agricultural land: 70.4 % of agricultural land (2023)
Derived value — formula arable-share-of-agricultural-land v1.0.0 (calc v1). Inputs: AG.LND.ARBL.ZS (33.4) ÷ AG.LND.AGRI.ZS (47.5). A derived ratio, not an observed statistic. Sensitive to rounding and to differing revision cycles of the two source series; omit rather than extrapolate when a common year is unavailable.
Documented crops & livestock
Agricultural institutions
- BMEL — Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft).
- Thünen Institute — Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries.
- Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI) — Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants.
Data coverage & limitations
Covered by the World Bank WDI snapshots for land, production, yield, economy, inputs, and environment indicators.
- Statistics are dated, versioned and periodically revised; always read the year and dataset version rather than treating a figure as current.
- National and EU statistical definitions (for example utilised agricultural area and livestock categories) differ from those of other countries, limiting direct cross-country comparison.
- A substantial share of maize is grown for biogas and silage rather than food, so grain-production indicators understate total cropping intensity.
- East-west differences in farm size and organisation are averaged out in national aggregates.
Sources
This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.
- Authoritative
Cited for: Agricultural statistics (WDI)
- Type:
- Intergovernmental organization
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- [2]European Commission — Agriculture and rural development (opens in a new tab)Authoritative
European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture
Cited for: EU Common Agricultural Policy framework and farm statistics
- Type:
- Government agency
- Jurisdiction:
- European Union
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- [3]FAO — Food and Agriculture Organization (opens in a new tab)Authoritative
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Cited for: Global agriculture and food production context
- Type:
- Intergovernmental organization
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12