The league: EU barley yields per hectare
Barley's 2024 yield league has a clear winner. Ireland lifted 7.07 tonnes per hectare, ahead of Germany at 6.39, Belgium at 6.24 and the Netherlands at 6.17 — the only four countries above 6 t/ha. Austria (5.73) and Bulgaria (5.61) complete the top six.
One honest caveat comes with the league: Eurostat publishes no official EU-27 aggregate yield line for barley (indicator YLD_HUMD_EU_T_HA for geo EU27_2020 is absent), so every ranking here is computed per member state. Twenty-six countries reported a 2024 yield; their unweighted average is 4.62 t/ha.
The spread is wide. Ireland's 7.07 t/ha is 7.3 times Cyprus's 0.97, and the middle of the table packs tightly: Hungary 5.45, France 5.35, Czechia 5.27. Remember what the number is: yield equals harvested production at EU standard humidity divided by recorded cropped area, so it inherits any rounding in the recorded area.
Yields in t/ha at EU standard humidity, 2024. Twenty-six countries reported a yield; Eurostat publishes no official EU-27 aggregate yield for barley, so ranks are per member state. Dataset apro_cpsh1.
| Rank | Country | Yield 2024 (t/ha) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ireland | 7.07 |
| 2 | Germany | 6.39 |
| 3 | Belgium | 6.24 |
| 4 | Netherlands | 6.17 |
| 5 | Austria | 5.73 |
| 6 | Bulgaria | 5.61 |
| 7 | Denmark | 5.50 |
| 8 | Hungary | 5.45 |
| 9 | France | 5.35 |
| 23 | Spain | 3.29 |
| 25 | Greece | 2.87 |
| 26 | Cyprus | 0.97 |
Ireland's secret: grass-fed land and moist Atlantic air
Ireland did not arrive at 7.07 t/ha in a straight line. The Irish series runs 8.17 in 2015, peaks at 8.25 in 2019, dips to 6.38 in 2018 and lands at 7.07 in 2024 — a net fall of 13.5% over the decade, with a CV (coefficient of variation, the standard deviation around the mean) of 9.1% across the ten annual points.
Ireland's first place is also newer than it looks. Belgium led the EU in 2015 with 8.98 t/ha and again in every year from 2017 to 2020 and in 2023; Ireland led in 2016, 2021, 2022 and 2024. The usual explanation — a mild, wet Atlantic climate that suits grass-based systems — is context from outside the dataset; apro_cpsh1 records the tonnes and the hectares, not the weather.
Scale is the other half of Ireland's profile. It recorded 181.4 thousand hectares of barley in 2024, 1.8% of EU barley area and the 14th largest area, and harvested 1 282.1 thousand tonnes, 2.6% of the EU crop and 9th — a small area carrying the EU's top yield.
Yields in t/ha at EU standard humidity; the leader column shows the highest national yield of that year. Twenty-six countries report each year. Ireland's CV over 2015-2024 is 9.1%. Dataset apro_cpsh1.
| Year | Ireland (t/ha) | EU leader that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 8.17 | Belgium 8.98 |
| 2016 | 7.40 | Ireland 7.40 |
| 2017 | 7.95 | Belgium 8.34 |
| 2018 | 6.38 | Belgium 7.69 |
| 2019 | 8.25 | Belgium 8.58 |
| 2020 | 6.97 | Belgium 7.49 |
| 2021 | 8.19 | Ireland 8.19 |
| 2022 | 8.14 | Ireland 8.14 |
| 2023 | 6.57 | Belgium 8.06 |
| 2024 | 7.07 | Ireland 7.07 |
Volume versus yield: Germany's double role
Volume tells a different story. Germany harvested 10 610.0 thousand tonnes in 2024 — 21.7% of the EU-27 total — while also ranking second on yield at 6.39 t/ha, the only country that is top-two in both. France is second in volume (9 669.3 thousand tonnes, 19.7%) at a mid-table yield of 5.35 t/ha.
Spain shows the other side of the split: third-largest producer with 7 441.0 thousand tonnes (15.2%) but 23rd on yield at 3.29 t/ha, because it farms the most land — 2 264.3 thousand hectares, 22.0% of EU barley area. Spain's area has shrunk 12.9% since 2015 (from 2 598.9 thousand hectares), while Germany's grew slightly (from 1 621.8 to 1 660.0).
At EU level the decade reads as slow retreat: 54 670.4 thousand tonnes in 2015 against 48 984.8 in 2024, a net fall of 10.4%, with 2023 the low point at 47 389.5. Recorded area fell too, from 11 127.0 to 10 287.7 thousand hectares (-7.5%), so most of the volume loss is less land rather than worse yields — the implied EU output per hectare moved only from about 4.91 to 4.76 t/ha. The top four producers — Germany, France, Spain and Denmark — hold 63.0% of the crop between them.
Shares against the official EU-27 production aggregate of 48 984.8 thousand tonnes in 2024. Production at EU standard humidity; area is main crop area. Dataset apro_cpsh1.
| Country | Production 2024 (1 000 t) | Share of EU | Yield 2024 (t/ha) | Area 2024 (1 000 ha) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 10 610.0 | 21.7% | 6.39 | 1 660.0 |
| France | 9 669.3 | 19.7% | 5.35 | 1 808.5 |
| Spain | 7 441.0 | 15.2% | 3.29 | 2 264.3 |
| Denmark | 3 141.2 | 6.4% | 5.50 | 571.4 |
| Ireland | 1 282.1 | 2.6% | 7.07 | 181.4 |
Malting versus feed: the two barley economies
Growers split barley into two economies: malting barley, which sells at a premium when it meets buyer specs (low protein, even germination, high germination energy), and feed barley, which absorbs everything else. That split drives variety choice, sowing date and pricing on the farm.
It is not in this dataset. apro_cpsh1 carries a single combined barley line, crop code C1300: harvested production at EU standard humidity, yield and main crop area. There is no malting-versus-feed breakdown, no spring-versus-winter split, no quality or price indicators — which countries supply malting processors is a market question, not one this table answers.
What the dataset does give a planner on either side of the market is volume, land and trend: EU barley production fell 10.4% between 2015 and 2024 while recorded area fell 7.5%, and the top four producers — Germany, France, Spain and Denmark — hold 63.0% of the crop. Quantity, land and their ratio; the end use stays outside the file.
What the barley slice of dataset apro_cpsh1 does and does not record. Malting versus feed is a market distinction outside this dataset.
| Question a grower asks | In the dataset? | What apro_cpsh1 records |
|---|---|---|
| How much barley is grown? | Yes | Production at EU standard humidity, 1 000 t |
| How much land? | Yes | Main crop area, 1 000 ha |
| How efficient? | Yes | Yield in t/ha, per country only |
| Malting or feed share? | No | One combined barley line, code C1300 |
| Spring or winter barley? | No | Not separated |
| Quality or price? | No | No quality or price indicators |
Reading the source: the yield indicator explained
The barley data lives in Eurostat's apro_cpsh1 dataset, where three indicators matter. HPRD_HUMD_EU_THS_T records harvested production at EU standard humidity in 1 000 tonnes — and here the EU-27 total is an official aggregate: 48 984.8 thousand tonnes in 2024. AR_THS_HA records main crop area, 10 287.7 thousand hectares in 2024.
The yield indicator, YLD_HUMD_EU_T_HA in tonnes per hectare, has no EU-27 aggregate line: yield is collected per member state only, with 26 countries reporting in 2024, and it equals harvested production at EU standard humidity divided by recorded cropped area. Because area is stored rounded to 1 000 hectares, that rounding carries into every yield figure.
Reproducing the league is straightforward: open apro_cpsh1 in the Eurostat data browser, filter to crop code C1300, pick the yield indicator and read 2024 by country. The same table gives the production and area series used above, so every number in this article can be traced back to one source.
Barley, crop code C1300, in dataset apro_cpsh1. Yield is production ÷ recorded area, so it inherits area rounding; only production and area carry official EU-27 aggregates.
| Indicator | What it records | EU-27 aggregate? |
|---|---|---|
| HPRD_HUMD_EU_THS_T | Harvested production, EU standard humidity (1 000 t) | Yes — 48 984.8 in 2024 |
| YLD_HUMD_EU_T_HA | Yield, EU standard humidity (t/ha) | No — 26 countries in 2024 |
| AR_THS_HA | Main crop area (1 000 ha) | Yes — 10 287.7 in 2024 |
| Malting versus feed | Not collected | No such indicator |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which EU country has the highest barley yield?
Ireland, with 7.07 tonnes per hectare in 2024 — the best of the 26 EU countries that report a barley yield. Germany was second at 6.39 t/ha and Belgium third at 6.24 t/ha. Eurostat publishes no official EU-27 aggregate yield for barley, so the league is built country by country.
Which country produces the most barley in the EU?
Germany: 10 610.0 thousand tonnes in 2024, 21.7% of the official EU-27 total of 48 984.8 thousand tonnes. France followed with 9 669.3 thousand tonnes (19.7%) and Spain with 7 441.0 (15.2%).
Why is barley yield high in Ireland?
The dataset records the result, not the cause: Ireland's 7.07 t/ha in 2024 tops the EU, on 181.4 thousand hectares that produced 1 282.1 thousand tonnes. The often-cited reasons — mild, moist Atlantic weather suited to grass-based systems — are context outside apro_cpsh1, which holds only production, area and their ratio.
Has EU barley production fallen since 2015?
Yes: from 54 670.4 thousand tonnes in 2015 to 48 984.8 thousand tonnes in 2024, a net fall of 10.4% on the official EU-27 aggregate. Recorded area fell 7.5% over the same period (from 11 127.0 to 10 287.7 thousand hectares), so the decline is mostly less land rather than lower yields.
Source data extracted from Eurostat dataset apro_cpsh1.
This article was generated using AI. The content is based on Eurostat data and is provided as a starting point — please verify all data with the original source.
