1.56 Million Tonnes of EU Chestnut Production (2021–2025): A Complete Data Breakdown

EU Market Share: Who Dominates Production?

Spain is the undisputed leader in EU chestnut production, contributing 877.73 thousand tonnes over the 2021–2025 period — an annual average of 175.55 thousand tonnes. This represents 56.2% of the total EU chestnut harvest. Italy follows with 318.58 thousand tonnes (63.72 thousand t/yr), while Greece rounds out the top three with 171.80 thousand tonnes (34.36 thousand t/yr).

The top five producers — Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, and France — collectively account for 99.8% of the EU's total chestnut output. Outside the EU, Turkey produced 303.00 thousand tonnes over the same period.

Agricultural Efficiency: Yield per Hectare

Direct yield statistics (tonnes per hectare) for chestnuts are not separately reported in the Eurostat apro_cpsh1 dataset under the YLD_HUMD_EU_T_HA indicator. However, comparing production volumes against land allocation reveals stark efficiency differences among the top producers.

Spain produces 877.73 thousand tonnes of chestnuts from just 178.52 thousand hectares — a production-to-land ratio of 4.92 tonnes per hectare. This is dramatically higher than Portugal, which manages only 141.24 thousand tonnes from 253.24 thousand hectares (0.56 t/ha). Greece achieves 3.64 t/ha (171.80 thousand tonnes from 47.22 thousand hectares), while Italy and France produce 1.67 t/ha and 1.08 t/ha respectively.

Regional and Climatic Divides Across Europe

Chestnut production in the European Union is overwhelmingly concentrated in the Mediterranean and Southern European bloc. Spain, Italy, and Greece together account for 1,368.11 thousand tonnes or 87.6% of total EU output.

The Atlantic and Western European bloc — comprising Portugal and France — contributes 189.90 thousand tonnes (12.2%), while all other EU member states combined account for the remaining 0.2%.

Temporal Trends: Market Stability vs. Volatility

The 2021–2025 period reveals contrasting production patterns among the top five EU chestnut producers. Spain's output has shown a gradual decline from 187.68 thousand tonnes in 2021 to 160.10 thousand tonnes (provisional) in 2025, with a dip in 2022 and 2023 before a partial recovery in 2024.

Italy stands out as the most dynamic producer, with output nearly doubling from 43.00 thousand tonnes in 2021 to 83.53 thousand tonnes in 2025 — an increase of 94%. Greece has maintained relatively stable production throughout the period, with annual output ranging between 30.71 and 37.51 thousand tonnes (all flagged as estimated values). Portugal experienced a sharp drop from 37.72 thousand tonnes in 2021 to 22.67 thousand tonnes in 2022, followed by a steady recovery to 29.86 thousand tonnes (provisional) by 2025.

Land Allocation: How Countries Prioritize Farmland

Portugal allocates the largest area to chestnut cultivation in the EU, with 253.24 thousand hectares over the five-year period (35.2% of the EU total), despite producing only 9.0% of the bloc's chestnut output. Italy ranks second with 190.32 thousand hectares (26.5%), followed closely by Spain with 178.52 thousand hectares (24.8%).

The total EU chestnut area stood at 719.32 thousand hectares over the five-year period (143.86 thousand hectares annually). The inverse relationship between land allocation and production share is striking: Portugal uses the most land but produces relatively little, while Spain produces the most from a comparatively modest area.

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