Country agriculture profile · Europe & Central Asia
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has a temperate, largely grassland-oriented agricultural sector, with an arable heartland concentrated in the drier east of England producing wheat, barley, oilseed rape, sugar beet and potatoes, and extensive sheep and cattle grazing across the wetter west and the uplands of Wales, Scotland and northern England. Following its departure from the European Union, the UK sits outside the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and has been replacing area-based subsidies with domestic schemes that pay farmers for environmental land management and other public goods. Agricultural policy and support are devolved, differing across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The sector combines large, efficient lowland arable and intensive livestock operations with upland farms that depend on grazing livestock.
Farming systems (stable overview)
Climate zones
- Temperate oceanic
- Cool maritime (north and uplands)
Agroecological zones
- Eastern lowland arable
- Western and northern grassland
- Uplands and rough grazing
Dominant crop systems
- Rainfed winter wheat, barley and oilseed rape in the drier east (East Anglia, eastern England)
- Sugar beet and field vegetables in eastern England
- Potatoes across eastern and central areas
- Oats and spring cereals in cooler northern areas
- Grassland-based systems dominating the wetter west and uplands
Major livestock systems
- Extensive sheep on the uplands of Wales, Scotland and northern England
- Beef and dairy cattle on lowland and western grassland
- Intensive pig and poultry production
- Lowland mixed grazing
Irrigation: Agriculture is predominantly rainfed; supplemental irrigation is concentrated in the drier east for potatoes and high-value field vegetables.
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 | 70.31 | % of land area | 2023 |
| Arable land | 24.98 | % of land area | 2023 |
| Cereal yield | 7,137.9 | kg per hectare | 2023 |
| Cereal production | 22,047,420 | metric tons | 2023 |
| Crop production index | 94.33 | index (2014–2016 = 100) | 2022 |
| Livestock production index | 105.24 | index (2014–2016 = 100) | 2022 |
| Agriculture value added | 0.64 | % of GDP | 2024 |
| Employment in agriculture(est.) | 0.87 | % 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 | 6,215.1 |
| 2013 | 6,631.6 |
| 2014 | 7,696.5 |
| 2015 | 7,980.9 |
| 2016 | 7,022.6 |
| 2017 | 7,229 |
| 2018 | 6,788.7 |
| 2019 | 7,946 |
| 2020 | 6,241 |
| 2021 | 6,966.8 |
| 2022 | 7,720.1 |
| 2023 | 7,137.9 |
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: 35.5 % of agricultural land (2023)
Derived value — formula arable-share-of-agricultural-land v1.0.0 (calc v1). Inputs: AG.LND.ARBL.ZS (25.0) ÷ AG.LND.AGRI.ZS (70.3). 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
- DEFRA — Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, the UK government department for agriculture and the environment.
- AHDB — Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, a statutory levy board providing sector data and research.
- Rothamsted Research — One of the world's oldest agricultural research institutions.
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 statistical definitions (for example utilised agricultural area and livestock categories) differ from those of other countries, limiting direct cross-country comparison.
- Since leaving the EU the UK has diverged from the Common Agricultural Policy, and agricultural support is devolved, so policy and payments differ across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Post-Brexit changes to trade, subsidies and data collection create discontinuities that reduce comparability with earlier years and with EU members.
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]AHDB — Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (opens in a new tab)High
Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)
Cited for: UK levy-board sector data and market analysis
- Type:
- Government agency
- Jurisdiction:
- United Kingdom
- 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