Country agriculture profile · Europe & Central Asia
Ukraine
Ukraine farms some of the world's most fertile chernozem black-earth soils, spread across its forest-steppe and steppe belts, and ranks among the leading global exporters of grain and oilseeds. Winter wheat, maize, barley, sunflower and rapeseed dominate a largely rainfed, highly mechanised cropping sector organised around both large agroholdings and smallholder household plots. As a major supplier of wheat, maize and sunflower oil shipped through Black Sea ports, the country occupies an outsized place in world food security. It is an EU candidate country rather than a member, so its agriculture lies outside the Common Agricultural Policy.
Farming systems (stable overview)
Climate zones
- Temperate continental
- Semi-arid steppe (south)
Agroecological zones
- Polissia mixed woodland (north)
- Forest-steppe
- Steppe
Dominant crop systems
- Rainfed winter wheat and barley on chernozem black soils
- Maize in the forest-steppe
- Sunflower and rapeseed across the steppe
- Sugar beet in the central belt
Major livestock systems
- Dairy and beef cattle
- Intensive pig and poultry production
- Smallholder household livestock
Irrigation: Farming is overwhelmingly rainfed on moisture-retentive black soils, with irrigation historically concentrated in the semi-arid south around the lower Dnipro.
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 | 71.3 | % of land area | 2023 |
| Arable land | 56.82 | % of land area | 2023 |
| Cereal yield | 5,147.7 | kg per hectare | 2024 |
| Cereal production | 55,651,880 | metric tons | 2024 |
| Crop production index | 90.06 | index (2014–2016 = 100) | 2022 |
| Agriculture value added | 7.29 | % of GDP | 2024 |
| Employment in agriculture(est.) | 14.12 | % of total employment | 2021 |
| Rural population | 30.47 | % of total population | 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 |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 4,030.8 |
| 2014 | 4,400.2 |
| 2015 | 4,140.9 |
| 2016 | 4,651.6 |
| 2017 | 4,314.6 |
| 2018 | 4,850.3 |
| 2019 | 4,978.3 |
| 2020 | 4,295.6 |
| 2021 | 5,454.6 |
| 2022 | 4,614.2 |
| 2023 | 5,578.1 |
| 2024 | 5,147.7 |
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: 79.7 % of agricultural land (2023)
Derived value — formula arable-share-of-agricultural-land v1.0.0 (calc v1). Inputs: AG.LND.ARBL.ZS (56.8) ÷ AG.LND.AGRI.ZS (71.3). 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 Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine (NAAS) — Coordinates the state network of agricultural research institutes.
- Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine — National agricultural policy, land, and food-security 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.
- Russia's full-scale invasion since 2022 has disrupted production, exports, and statistical collection, and occupied or mined farmland further complicates coverage.
- A substantial share of output comes from informal household plots that are difficult to measure precisely.
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]FAO — Food and Agriculture Organization (opens in a new tab)Authoritative
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Cited for: Production, trade, and food-balance context
- Type:
- Intergovernmental organization
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12