AgricultureID

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.

Stable overview + dated statistics6 subnational regions →Updated: 2026-07-12

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.

Latest available agricultural indicators, with year and unit
IndicatorValueUnitYear
Agricultural land47.47% of land area2023
Arable land33.43% of land area2023
Cereal yield7,007.3kg per hectare2023
Crop production index91.48index (2014–2016 = 100)2022
Livestock production index93.35index (2014–2016 = 100)2022
Fertilizer consumption128.58kg per hectare of arable land2023
Agriculture value added0.91% of GDP2024
Employment in agriculture(est.)1.09% of total employment2024

Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12

Commodity market data

5,589 official observations across 62 commodities. Figures are shown on each commodity page with the unit, status and release its source published.

Commodities with official market series for this country
CommodityMetrics recorded
AlmondsExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
AvocadosExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
BananasExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Barley GrainArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Black PeppercornsExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Brown RiceExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Buckwheat GrainExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Cashew NutsExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
ChickpeasExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Cocoa BeansExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Cotton LintBeginning stocks, Ending stocks, Exports, Imports, Export value, Import value
CottonseedImports, Import value
CowpeasExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
CucumbersArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
DatesExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Dried ChilliesExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Dried Tobacco LeafIndex value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Dry BeansExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Dry Bulb OnionsArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Dry PeasArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Flax FibreExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
FlaxseedArea harvested, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Fresh ApplesArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Fresh BlueberriesArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Fresh OrangesExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Fresh PineapplesExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Fresh StrawberriesArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Fresh SweetcornExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Fresh TomatoesArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Green CoffeeExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
GroundnutsExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
HazelnutsExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Head CabbageArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Hemp FibreArea harvested, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Hen EggsProduction, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Jute FibreExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
LentilsExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Maize GrainArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Millet GrainExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Oat GrainArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Pigeon PeasExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
PistachiosExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
RapeseedArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Raw Cow MilkProduction, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Raw WoolIndex value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Rice PaddyExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Rye GrainArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Safflower SeedExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Sesame SeedExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Sorghum GrainExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
SoybeansArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Sugar BeetArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
SugarcaneExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Sunflower SeedArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Sweet PotatoesExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Tea LeafExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Triticale GrainArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Vanilla BeansExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
WalnutsArea harvested, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Ware PotatoesArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Wheat GrainArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
YamsExports, Export value, Imports, Import value

How these figures are recorded

Cereal yield over time

201220182023
Germany — Cereal yield (kg per hectare). Bars start at zero.
Show data table
Germany — Cereal yield in kg per hectare by year
Yearkg per hectare
20126,964.9
20137,318
20148,050.3
20157,497.8
20167,182.1
20177,269.9
20186,178.9
20196,952
20207,133.3
20216,998.1
20227,126.1
20237,007.3

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.

Agricultural authorities

Official public bodies verified against government sources. AgricultureID is independent and not affiliated with them.

  • Bundesministerium für Landwirtschaft, Ernährung und HeimatMinistry

    Germany’s federal ministry for agriculture, food and rural affairs. The ministry states its goals as balanced, healthy nutrition with safe food, clear consumer information at the point of purchase, and a strong and sustainable agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector, together with prospects for rural regions, future-proof animal husbandry, and world food security.

All agricultural authorities

Data coverage & limitations

Covered by the World Bank WDI snapshots for land, production, yield, economy, inputs, and environment indicators.

What AgricultureID has indexed for Germany
LayerStatusWhat is held
Agricultural authoritiesCovered1 record
Official registriesCovered1 record
Compliance requirementsNot yet indexed—
Support programmesNot yet indexed—
Biosecurity listingsNot yet indexed—
Variety registrationsCovered11 records
Input authorisationsNot yet indexed—
Extension resourcesNot yet indexed—
Market statisticsCovered381 records
Soil survey observationsNot yet indexed—
Border requirementsNot yet indexed—
Farm economics figuresCovered716 records
Climate, drought and water valuesCovered47 records

This page describes what AgricultureID has indexed, not what exists. A layer shown as not yet indexed means nobody has looked, and never that the thing is absent in that country. How coverage is worked out.

  • 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.

  1. [1]World Bank Open Data — World Development Indicators (opens in a new tab)

    World Bank

    Authoritative

    Cited for: Agricultural statistics (WDI)

    Type:
    Intergovernmental organization
    Jurisdiction:
    Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12
  2. [2]European Commission — Agriculture and rural development (opens in a new tab)

    European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture

    Authoritative

    Cited for: EU Common Agricultural Policy framework and farm statistics

    Type:
    Government agency
    Jurisdiction:
    European Union
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12
  3. [3]FAO — Food and Agriculture Organization (opens in a new tab)

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Authoritative

    Cited for: Global agriculture and food production context

    Type:
    Intergovernmental organization
    Jurisdiction:
    Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12