What is the cost of arable land in Europe? This is apparently a simple question, but the factors that affect the answer are different. It is therefore good to proceed with a premise, before dwelling on the data collected by Eurostat.
Price evaluation
First, the level of land prices depends on several variables. National laws affect cost, as do regional factors, from climate to proximity to distribution networks. Obviously the market forces of supply and demand, including the influence of the rules on foreign ownership, affect pricing. And we must not neglect the productivity data, determined by the quality of the soil, the slope, the drainage and other characteristics of the soil itself.
The most expensive
Already from this reflection, the possible price differences between European nations and between regions of the same nation can be understood. It should also be noted that Eurostat does not have data from Belgium, Germany, Cyprus, Malta, Austria and Portugal. While the information relating to Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands dates back to 2019.
Among the EU member states, the Netherlands has the highest purchase price for one hectare of arable land, with an average of 69,632 euros. While, as regards the regions, the highest prices for arable land were recorded in Spain, precisely in the Canary Islands (120,477 euros per hectare in 2020).
The cheapest
The situation in Croatia is diametrically opposite, where the cheapest arable crops in Europe are reported, with one hectare at an average cost of € 3,440 in 2020. At the regional level, however, it is not Croatia that records the lowest price. In fact, the primacy belongs to the south-western region of Bulgaria, where one hectare of arable land is valued on average 2.051 euros.
Consult the Eurostat chart, proposed below, to learn about the data available for the different EU member countries.
Source: Eurostat
