Eurostat reports gender disparity in agricultural land management across EU

Data released by Eurostat on October 15, 2026, reveals a significant gender gap in the management of agricultural land across the European Union. In 2023, women managed only 17.2 percent of the utilized agricultural area in the EU. Cyprus performed below this average, with women managing 6.5 percent of the island's agricultural land.

The report analyzed 241 regions classified under the NUTS 2 system, finding that 55.6 percent of these areas fall below the EU average. The lowest share of land managed by women was recorded in the Dutch region of Friesland at 2.7 percent (6,000 hectares), while the highest share was observed in Upper Austria at 42.5 percent (211,600 hectares). Italy showed the strongest regional performance with 11 regions reporting high management shares, followed by Greece and Austria with four each.

Eurostat suggests that female-managed farms tend to be smaller in size. However, the agency notes that generational renewal and evolving agricultural systems may lead to increased female participation in larger, more commercially oriented farming operations in the future.