17.7 Million Tonnes of EU Cabbage Production 2013–2017: A Complete Data Breakdown

EU Market Share: Who Dominates Production?

Over the five harvest years from 2013 to 2017, the EU-27 produced a total of 17,743.21 thousand tonnes of cabbages. Poland alone accounted for 5,013.37 thousand tonnes, or 28.3% of the EU total (1,002.67 thousand t/yr). Romania followed with 3,242.80 thousand tonnes (18.3%, 648.56 thousand t/yr), while Germany contributed 3,033.75 thousand tonnes (17.1%, 606.75 thousand t/yr). The Netherlands ranked fourth with 943.20 thousand tonnes (5.3%), and Spain rounded out the top five with 827.96 thousand tonnes (4.7%).

Poland's 5.0 million tonnes over the five-year period (1.0 Mt/yr) exceeds the combined output of the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Greece, and France. The top three producers — Poland, Romania, and Germany — together supply 63.6% of all EU cabbages.

Agricultural Efficiency: Yield per Hectare

Eurostat does not publish direct yield indicators for cabbages in the apro_cpsh1 dataset, but yield can be calculated from harvested production and area.

Germany achieves the highest calculated yield at approximately 67 tonnes per hectare — more than three times Romania's roughly 22 t/ha. Poland sits in the middle at about 45 t/ha. This means Germany grows substantial cabbage volumes on a relatively small footprint: its 45.07 thousand hectares over five years produced 3.0 million tonnes, while Romania needed 146.66 thousand hectares to produce just 3.2 million tonnes.

Regional and Climatic Divides Across Europe

Cabbage production is heavily skewed toward Eastern Europe, which accounts for over half of all EU output. The region's dominant producers — Poland and Romania — together contribute with substantial land area and moderate yields.

Western Europe, led by Germany and the Netherlands, contributes 27.5% of EU output through significantly higher per-hectare efficiency. Southern Europe accounts for 14.6%, while the Nordic and Baltic states together produce less than 5% of the EU total.

Temporal Trends: Market Stability vs. Volatility

The 2013–2017 period reveals contrasting stability patterns among the top three producers.

Romania showed the steadiest output, with annual production ranging narrowly between 616.57 thousand tonnes and 683.05 thousand tonnes — a coefficient of variation of approximately 4%. All Romanian data carries no quality flags, indicating fully reliable reporting.

Greece (EL) reported estimated ("e") production values for 2016 (88.47 thousand t) and 2017 (79.91 thousand t), meaning these figures may be revised in future Eurostat transmissions.

Germany exhibited moderate variation, from 550.27 thousand tonnes in 2015 up to 666.21 thousand tonnes in 2014. Output recovered to 660.92 thousand tonnes in 2017 after a mid-period dip.

Poland was the most volatile of the top three. After climbing from 953.8 thousand tonnes in 2013 to a peak of 1,156.4 thousand tonnes in 2014, output dropped sharply by 24% to 875.0 thousand tonnes in 2015, before recovering to 1,010.45 thousand tonnes by 2017.

Land Allocation: How Countries Prioritize Farmland for Cabbages

Across the EU-27, cabbage cultivation occupied a total of 491.55 thousand hectares over the five-year period, averaging 98.31 thousand hectares per year.

Despite ranking second in production volume, Romania dedicates the largest land area to cabbages — 146.66 thousand hectares (29.33 thousand ha/yr), nearly a third of the EU total — reflecting its lower yield per hectare. Poland uses 112.07 thousand hectares (22.41 thousand ha/yr) for 22.8% of the EU's cabbage area. Germany allocates only 45.07 thousand hectares (9.01 thousand ha/yr) yet produces the third-highest tonnage, underscoring its superior yield efficiency.

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