AgricultureID

Country agriculture profile · Europe & Central Asia

Portugal

Portugal's agriculture is quintessentially Mediterranean across the centre and south and Atlantic in the north. Olive groves, vineyards — including the terraced Douro that yields port — cork-oak montado, and expanding almond and horticultural plantations define the drier interior, while processing tomatoes and Algarve citrus feed a strong export trade. The humid north is a land of small mixed and dairy holdings, and the Atlantic islands of the Azores and Madeira add pasture-based dairy and subtropical crops. An EU member since 1986, Portugal farms under the Common Agricultural Policy, with water availability the defining constraint of the south.

Stable overview + dated statisticsUpdated: 2026-07-12

Farming systems (stable overview)

Climate zones

  • Mediterranean
  • Atlantic temperate (north)
  • Subtropical Atlantic (Azores and Madeira)

Agroecological zones

  • Northern minifundio smallholdings
  • Alentejo montado and plains
  • Douro terraces
  • Atlantic islands

Dominant crop systems

  • Olive groves and vineyards
  • Cork-oak montado agro-silvo-pasture
  • Almonds and irrigated horticulture in the Alentejo
  • Processing tomato and Algarve citrus
  • Maize and rice in irrigated valleys

Major livestock systems

  • Extensive beef cattle, sheep, and goats
  • Montado-raised Iberian (Alentejo) pigs
  • Dairy in the Atlantic north and the Azores

Irrigation: Irrigation is expanding in the dry south, anchored by the large Alqueva reservoir in the Alentejo, while the humid north remains largely rainfed.

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 land43.34% of land area2023
Arable land10.12% of land area2023
Irrigated agricultural land14.74% of agricultural land2023
Crop production index113.88index (2014–2016 = 100)2022
Food production index110.34index (2014–2016 = 100)2022
Agriculture value added2.02% of GDP2024
Employment in agriculture(est.)2.86% of total employment2024
Forest area36.15% of land area2023

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

201320192024
Portugal — Cereal yield (kg per hectare). Bars start at zero.
Show data table
Portugal — Cereal yield in kg per hectare by year
Yearkg per hectare
20134,336.4
20144,416
20154,606.9
20164,422.4
20174,759.7
20184,809
20195,176.5
20204,881.3
20215,379.7
20225,137.4
20235,520.7
20245,308.8

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: 23.4 % of agricultural land (2023)

Derived value — formula arable-share-of-agricultural-land v1.0.0 (calc v1). Inputs: AG.LND.ARBL.ZS (10.1) ÷ AG.LND.AGRI.ZS (43.3). 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

  • National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research (INIAV) — State agricultural, food, and veterinary research institute.
  • Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries — National agricultural policy and CAP implementation authority.

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, so each figure must be read with its year, unit, and dataset version.
  • National definitions, survey methods, and coverage differ between countries, so cross-country comparisons should be made with care.
  • Strong dualism between northern smallholdings and southern estates, plus the distinct Azores and Madeira island regions, limits the meaning of national averages.

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 context

    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: Production and food-balance context

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