(21 March 2018) – Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, today publishes a new set of statistics on agricultural land prices and rents, which covers most of the EU Member States.

On average, the Netherlands recorded the most expensive purchase price of one hectare of arable land in the EU in 2016 (EUR 63 000). Indeed, the price of arable land in every region of the Netherlands was above all other available national averages in the EU. However, among the EU regions for which data are available, the most expensive price for arable land was in the Liguria region of Italy (an average EUR 108 000 per hectare).
Arable land was cheapest in Romania, with a hectare costing an average EUR 1 958 in 2016. At the regional level, a hectare of arable land cost least in the Yugozapaden region of Bulgaria (an average EUR 1 165).
Renting one hectare of agricultural land was most expensive in the Netherlands (an average EUR 791 for the year), with the highest regional average in Flevoland being almost twice the national average (EUR 1 536 for the year).
Renting agricultural land was cheapest on average in Latvia (EUR 46 per hectare per year), although the cheapest regions in the EU for renting were Mellersta Norrland and Övre Norrland in Sweden (both EUR 28 per hectare per year).