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Organic market in Europe hits record in selling. New data.
Europe’s organic market reached a record €59 billion in 2024. Italy leads in organic farmland share and number of producers, says FiBL report.
Organic consumption in Europe has reached a historic high, worth 59 billion euros. This is revealed in The World of Organic Agriculture 2026 report, referring to 2024, presented at the Biofach trade fair by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in collaboration with IFOAM, the worldwide federation of organic agriculture movements.
Organic farmland stable; Italy leads for organic agricultural area and number of producers
According to the analysis, organically farmed land in Europe remains stable at 19.6 million hectares. Of these, 18.1 million hectares are located within the European Union, where organic farming accounts for 11.1 per cent of total agricultural land, compared with 3.9 per cent across the entire continent.
As for the countries with the largest areas of organic farmland, Spain leads with nearly 2.9 million hectares, followed by France with 2.7 million hectares and Italy in third place with 2.5 million hectares. However, Italy ranks first in terms of the share of utilised agricultural area (UAA) under organic management — more than 20 per cent, almost double the European average. Italy also maintains the top position in terms of the number of organic producers, with more than 87,042 operators out of the 490,637 active across Europe.
Record organic sales in Europe
In 2024, organic sales reached a record 58.7 billion euros, up 4.1 per cent. Germany confirmed its position as Europe’s largest organic market (17.0 billion euros), followed by France (12.2 billion euros) and Italy (5.2 billion euros). Switzerland recorded the highest per capita consumption in the world, at 481 euros per person.
Organic worldwide
Globally, organically farmed land in 2024 remained largely stable at 99 million hectares, while global retail sales of organic food and beverages reached 145 billion euros. The United States remains the largest market at 60.4 billion euros, followed by Germany (17 billion euros) and China (15.5 billion euros).
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FederBio: “Move forward with the Green Deal”
“European analyses provide a clear picture: citizens are increasingly orienting their food choices toward organic products,” said Maria Grazia Mammuccini, president of FederBio. “The significant data point is that, for the first time in 2024, the growth rate of consumption has exceeded the growth rate of organically farmed areas.”
According to Mammuccini, however, the increase in organic sales must go hand in hand with an increase in production. For this reason, Green Deal objectives must not be slowed down. European strategies supporting agroecological development, combined with substantial investment in research and innovation, are key to expanding the sector.
“The paradox is clear: while citizens are choosing sustainability, Brussels is slowing down. Instead, we must move forward decisively toward an agricultural and food system that is resilient and respectful of ecosystems.”
For FederBio, this is not only about the environment, climate and health, but also about the real economy, the future of farming businesses and future generations.
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