Estimated soil erosion by water, by erosion level, land cover and NUTS 3 region (aei_pr_soiler)

1.1. Contact organisation

[4D0] European Commission (including Eurostat)

1.2. Contact organisation unit

[4D1_E1] Eurostat - Agriculture and fisheries

1.3. Contact name

Confidential because of GDPR

1.4. Contact person function

Confidential because of GDPR

1.5. Contact mail address

1.6. Contact email address

Confidential because of GDPR

1.7. Contact phone number

Confidential because of GDPR

1.8. Contact fax number

Confidential because of GDPR

2.1. Metadata last certified

1 September 2026

2.2. Metadata last posted

30 October 2026

2.3. Metadata last update

30 October 2026

3.1. Data description

Data on the risk of soil erosion are published under agreement with the data provider - Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC – Ispra), one of the partners of the Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation on the development of Agri-environmental indicators.

Soil erosion by water is one of the most widespread forms of soil degradation in Europe. Since it is difficult to measure at large scales, soil erosion models are a crucial estimation tool at regional, national and European levels.

This dataset presents the soil erosion rates by water estimated on the basis of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) empirical computer model in tonnes per ha per year, in the EU-27 Member States.

The areas affected are expressed in km² and as a percentage of the total non-artificial, erodible area in the country.

The soil erosion risk levels are classified in two size categories:

• Severe risk (> 10 tonnes per hectare per year)
• Zero Severe risk. Soil erosion may still be occurring in these areas, but at an yearly rate of less than 10 tonnes per hectare.

Note that Eurostat is not the producer of these data, but only re-publishes them. For more information please consult the Eurostat Statistics Explained article Agri-environmental indicator – Soil erosion.

3.2. Classification system

Not applicable

3.3. Coverage - sector

The coverage area of the indicator refers to several classes of the CORINE Land Cover (CLC) nomenclature. Artificial, sandy, rocky and icy surfaces as well as wetlands and water bodies are not included in the area on which the indicator is based.

The following classes are included:
   2 Agricultural areas
      2.1 Arable land
      2.2 Permanent crops
      2.3 Pastures
      2.4 Heterogeneous agricultural areas
   3 Forest and semi natural areas
      3.1 Forests
      3.2 Scrub and/or herbaceous vegetation associations
      3.3 Open spaces with little or no vegetation, but only the following subcategories:
            3.3.3 Sparsely vegetated areas
            3.3.4 Burnt areas

The following classes are excluded:
   1 Artificial surfaces
   3 Forest and semi natural areas, but only the following subcategories:
       3.3 Open spaces with little or no vegetation
             3.3.1 Beaches, dunes, sand plains
             3.3.2 Bare rocks
             3.3.5 Glaciers and perpetual snow
   4 Wetlands
   5 Water bodies

This dataset contains a differentiation in the following four CORINE Land Cover classification groups:

• CLC2_3X331_332_335: Agricultural areas (2), forest and semi natural areas (3) excluding beaches, dunes, sand plains (3.3.1), bare rock (3.3.2), glaciers and perpetual snow (3.3.5)

           Refers to all potentially erosive-prone land (in simplified terms)

• CLC2_321: Agricultural areas and natural grassland

Refers only to agricultural land (agricultural cropland as well as grassland in simplified terms)

• CLC2X23: Agricultural areas (2) excluding pastures (23)

          Refers only to agricultural cropland (in simplified terms)

• CLC23_321: Pastures (23) and natural grassland (321)

           Refers only to agricultural grassland (in simplified terms)

3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions

Soil erosion by water is understood as the removal of soil by rain fall and can take different forms: rain splash, sheet erosion (uniform removal of a thin layer of soil), rill erosion (formation of small channels) or gully erosion (development of larger, permanent channels). Soil erosion by water occurs mainly in areas with a high rainfall intensity, steep topography and limited land cover. Among the main consequences are a loss of cultivable, fertile soil, the pollution of surface water and possibly a destruction of infrastructure. A loss of soil is irreversible.

The main factors affecting the rates of soil erosion by water are precipitation, soil type, topography, land use and land management. The most commonly used erosion model at a regional scale is the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE).  It estimates erosion by means of an empirical equation including six main factors:

Er = R K L S C P

• R = rainfall erosivity factor (MJ mm ha^-1h^-1 yr^-1)
• K = soil erodibility factor (t ha h ha^-1 MJ^-1 mm^-1)
• L = slope length factor (dimensionless)
• S = slope steepness factor (dimensionless)
• C = land cover and management factor (dimensionless)
• P = human practices aimed at erosion control (dimensionless)

The best available pan-European databases have been introduced for all input layers:

• Eurostat statistical data on crops, tillage practices, plant residues and cover crops updated with 2023 EU Farm Structure Survey;
• Stoniness effect taking into account the LUCAS topsoil survey;
• Rainfall Erosivity Database at European Scale (REDES);
• Copernicus remote sensing datasets on vegetation density;
• Digital Elevation Model (DEM) at 25 m resolution;
• CORINE Land Cover 2018 and 2012
• Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAEC) database;
• LUCAS 2012 earth observations on stone walls and grass margins.

For more information please consult the Eurostat Statistics Explained article Agri-environmental indicator – Soil erosion.

3.5. Statistical unit

The smallest regional entity presented in this dataset is NUTS 3 regions of EU territory. 2023 data are only available at NUTS 0 level for now.

3.6. Statistical population

Areas of the EU territory that refer to specific classes of the CORINE Land Cover (CLC) nomenclature (see 3.3). Generally, artificial, sandy, rocky and icy surfaces as well as wetlands and water bodies are not included in the area on which the indicator is based.

3.7. Reference area

EU Member States

Data are not available for the following NUTS2 and NUTS3 oversea regions:

NUTS 2 code	Region
ES64	Ciudad Autónoma de Melilla
ES70	Canarias
FRY1	Guadeloupe
FRY2	Martinique
FRY3	Guyane
FRY4	La Réunion
FRY5	Mayotte
PT20	Região Autónoma dos Açores
PT30	Região Autónoma da Madeira

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NUTS3 code	Region
ES640	Mellila
ES703	El Hierro
ES704	Fuerteventura
ES705	Gran Canaria
ES706	La Gomera
ES707	La Palma
ES708	Lanzarote
ES709	Tenerife
FRY10	Guadeloupe
FRY20	Martinique
FRY30	Guyane
FRY40	La Réunion
FRY50	Mayotte
PT200	Região Autónoma dos Açores
PT300	Região Autónoma da Madeira

3.8. Coverage - Time

2000, 2010, 2016 and 2023

3.9. Base period

Not applicable.

Soil erosion rates are estimated on the basis of an empirical computer model in tonnes per ha of EU territory per year.

The dataset presents the following units:

• Tonnes (T)
• Tonnes per hectare (T_HA)
• Hectare (HA)
• Square kilometres (KM2)
• Percentages (PC); the percentages express the share of a land cover class with a certain soil erosion rate in relation to the total area of the corresponding land cover class (see 3.3 for CLC classes)

Calendar year

6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements

Soil erosion is one of the 28 indicators developed on the basis of the Commission Communication COM (2006) 508 - Development of agri-environmental indicators for monitoring the integration of environmental concerns into the common agricultural policy.

Soil erosion by water is also one of the impact indicators for Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (PMEF) for measuring the performance of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) based on Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing rules on support for strategic plans to be drawn up by Member States under the common agricultural policy (CAP Strategic Plans) and financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing

Data are modelled by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and re-published by Eurostat.

Data on cover-management factor, which is the main factor for driving data revisions can be found here: Cover Management factor (C-factor) for the EU - ESDAC - European Commission.

Additional related data can be downloaded from the European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC).

7.1. Confidentiality - policy

Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.

7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment

Only non-confidential data are published.

8.1. Release calendar

Data are disseminated as soon as they are available.

8.2. Release calendar access

Not applicable

8.3. Release policy - user access

In line with the Community legal framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice Eurostat disseminates European statistics on Eurostat's website (see item 10 - 'Accessibility and clarity') respecting professional independence and in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably. The detailed arrangements are governed by the Eurostat protocol on impartial access to Eurostat data for users.

On a non-regular basis, as soon as new data become available. Usually, new data points are disseminated within 3 years after the reference year.

10.1. Dissemination format - News release

Not applicable

10.2. Dissemination format - Publications

Eurostat's Statistics Explained on-line publication Agri-environmental indicators – Soil erosion.

10.3. Dissemination format - online database

Eurostat data on-line: Estimated soil erosion by water, by erosion level, land cover and NUTS 3 regions (source: JRC) (aei_pr_soiler)

Joint Research Centre (JRC) data on-line: European Soil Portal – Soil Data and Information Systems

10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access

Not applicable

10.5. Dissemination format - other

Not applicable

10.6. Documentation on methodology

1. Borrelli, P., Panagos , P. 2026. A data-driven indicator for assessing the evolving impact of the EU Common Agricultural Policy on soil erosion mitigation. Data in Brief, 64: 112390, DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2025.112390 
2. Panagos at al. (2024),Understanding the cost of soil erosion: An assessment of the sediment removal costs from the reservoirs of the European Union, Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 434, 2024, 140183, ISSN 0959-6526. 
3. Panagos et al. (2021), Projections of soil loss by water erosion in Europe by 2050, Environmental Science and Policy, 124: 380–392. 
4. Borrelli et al. (2023), Policy implications of multiple concurrent soil erosion processes in European farmland, Nature Sustainability, Volume 6, January 2023, 103–112. 

10.7. Quality management - documentation

Not available

11.1. Quality assurance

Validation of scientific methodology (see documentation of methodology).

Validation of individual input layers in peer review publications.

11.2. Quality management - assessment

See 11.1.

12.1. Relevance - User Needs

Regional to European policy makers, land use planners, scientists.

Data on soil erosion by water is used to monitor the achievement of the European Commission’s objective of building a competitive and resilient agriculture and food system and of safeguarding biodiversity, embedded in its priorities under 'Sustaining our quality of life: food security, water and nature'.

The Soil Strategy for 2030 recognises erosion as a threat to soil in the EU. Europe’s Common Agricultural Policy sets requirements to protect utilised agricultural areas against erosion and establishes a framework of standards that aim, among others, to contribute to preventing soil erosion.

12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction

Not available

12.3. Completeness

All EU Member States are covered.

13.1. Accuracy - overall

Contact the Joint Research Centre (JRC) at EU Soil Observatory (EUSO) - ESDAC - European Commission.

13.2. Sampling error

Not applicable

13.3. Non-sampling error

Not applicable

14.1. Timeliness

Joint Research Centre (JRC) publishes data on a non-regular basis.

Usually, new data points are disseminated within 3 years after the reference year.

14.2. Punctuality

Not applicable

15.1. Comparability - geographical

Comparability across countries is considered good.

15.2. Comparability - over time

Comparability over time is considered good.

15.3. Coherence - cross domain

Not applicable.

15.4. Coherence - internal

Not applicable

Input data are mainly derived from existing data sources and reporting requirements.

17.1. Data revision - policy

The general Eurostat revision policy applies to this domain.

17.2. Data revision - practice

All reported errors (once validated) result in corrections of the disseminated data. 

Reported errors that are deemed to be significant are corrected in the disseminated data as soon as the correct data have been validated. 

Data may be published even if they are missing for certain countries or flagged as provisional or of low reliability for certain countries. They are replaced with final data once transmitted and validated. European aggregates are updated for consistency with new country data. 

Whenever new data are provided and validated, the already disseminated data are updated with next regular production cycle, together with the European aggregates.
Data are usually revised for the last 5 periods. Aggregates and components are revised at the same time.

18.1. Source data

• 2023 EU Farm Structure Survey data on tillage practices, cover crops and plant residues
• LUCAS Topsoil 2009;
• European Soil Database (ESDB);
• Rainfall Erosivity Database at European Scale (REDES);
• CORINE Land Cover 2018 and 2012;
• COPERNICUS Remote Sensing data;
• Eurostat Crop Statistics;
• LUCAS Earth Observations 2015;
• Good Agricultural Environmental Conditions (GAEC) (2010);
• Digital Elevation Model (DEM) 25m

18.2. Frequency of data collection

Continuous

18.3. Data collection

Contact the EU Soil Observatory (EUSO) - ESDAC - European Commission.

18.4. Data validation

Contact the EU Soil Observatory (EUSO) - ESDAC - European Commission.

18.5. Data compilation

The values of the following units were provided by the Joint Research Centre (JRC):

• ha
• t/ha

The values of the following units were computed by Eurostat based on the provided values of the JRC:

• t
• %
• km²

18.6. Adjustment

Contact the Joint Research Centre (JRC) 

No comment.

Data on the risk of soil erosion are published under agreement with the data provider - Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC – Ispra), one of the partners of the Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation on the development of Agri-environmental indicators.

Soil erosion by water is one of the most widespread forms of soil degradation in Europe. Since it is difficult to measure at large scales, soil erosion models are a crucial estimation tool at regional, national and European levels.

This dataset presents the soil erosion rates by water estimated on the basis of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) empirical computer model in tonnes per ha per year, in the EU-27 Member States.

The areas affected are expressed in km² and as a percentage of the total non-artificial, erodible area in the country.

The soil erosion risk levels are classified in two size categories:

• Severe risk (> 10 tonnes per hectare per year)
• Zero Severe risk. Soil erosion may still be occurring in these areas, but at an yearly rate of less than 10 tonnes per hectare.

Note that Eurostat is not the producer of these data, but only re-publishes them. For more information please consult the Eurostat Statistics Explained article Agri-environmental indicator – Soil erosion.

30 October 2026

Soil erosion by water is understood as the removal of soil by rain fall and can take different forms: rain splash, sheet erosion (uniform removal of a thin layer of soil), rill erosion (formation of small channels) or gully erosion (development of larger, permanent channels). Soil erosion by water occurs mainly in areas with a high rainfall intensity, steep topography and limited land cover. Among the main consequences are a loss of cultivable, fertile soil, the pollution of surface water and possibly a destruction of infrastructure. A loss of soil is irreversible.

The main factors affecting the rates of soil erosion by water are precipitation, soil type, topography, land use and land management. The most commonly used erosion model at a regional scale is the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE).  It estimates erosion by means of an empirical equation including six main factors:

Er = R K L S C P

• R = rainfall erosivity factor (MJ mm ha^-1h^-1 yr^-1)
• K = soil erodibility factor (t ha h ha^-1 MJ^-1 mm^-1)
• L = slope length factor (dimensionless)
• S = slope steepness factor (dimensionless)
• C = land cover and management factor (dimensionless)
• P = human practices aimed at erosion control (dimensionless)

The best available pan-European databases have been introduced for all input layers:

• Eurostat statistical data on crops, tillage practices, plant residues and cover crops updated with 2023 EU Farm Structure Survey;
• Stoniness effect taking into account the LUCAS topsoil survey;
• Rainfall Erosivity Database at European Scale (REDES);
• Copernicus remote sensing datasets on vegetation density;
• Digital Elevation Model (DEM) at 25 m resolution;
• CORINE Land Cover 2018 and 2012
• Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAEC) database;
• LUCAS 2012 earth observations on stone walls and grass margins.

For more information please consult the Eurostat Statistics Explained article Agri-environmental indicator – Soil erosion.

The smallest regional entity presented in this dataset is NUTS 3 regions of EU territory. 2023 data are only available at NUTS 0 level for now.

Areas of the EU territory that refer to specific classes of the CORINE Land Cover (CLC) nomenclature (see 3.3). Generally, artificial, sandy, rocky and icy surfaces as well as wetlands and water bodies are not included in the area on which the indicator is based.

EU Member States

Data are not available for the following NUTS2 and NUTS3 oversea regions:

NUTS 2 code	Region
ES64	Ciudad Autónoma de Melilla
ES70	Canarias
FRY1	Guadeloupe
FRY2	Martinique
FRY3	Guyane
FRY4	La Réunion
FRY5	Mayotte
PT20	Região Autónoma dos Açores
PT30	Região Autónoma da Madeira

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NUTS3 code	Region
ES640	Mellila
ES703	El Hierro
ES704	Fuerteventura
ES705	Gran Canaria
ES706	La Gomera
ES707	La Palma
ES708	Lanzarote
ES709	Tenerife
FRY10	Guadeloupe
FRY20	Martinique
FRY30	Guyane
FRY40	La Réunion
FRY50	Mayotte
PT200	Região Autónoma dos Açores
PT300	Região Autónoma da Madeira

Calendar year

Contact the Joint Research Centre (JRC) at EU Soil Observatory (EUSO) - ESDAC - European Commission.

Soil erosion rates are estimated on the basis of an empirical computer model in tonnes per ha of EU territory per year.

The dataset presents the following units:

• Tonnes (T)
• Tonnes per hectare (T_HA)
• Hectare (HA)
• Square kilometres (KM2)
• Percentages (PC); the percentages express the share of a land cover class with a certain soil erosion rate in relation to the total area of the corresponding land cover class (see 3.3 for CLC classes)

The values of the following units were provided by the Joint Research Centre (JRC):

• ha
• t/ha

The values of the following units were computed by Eurostat based on the provided values of the JRC:

• t
• %
• km²

• 2023 EU Farm Structure Survey data on tillage practices, cover crops and plant residues
• LUCAS Topsoil 2009;
• European Soil Database (ESDB);
• Rainfall Erosivity Database at European Scale (REDES);
• CORINE Land Cover 2018 and 2012;
• COPERNICUS Remote Sensing data;
• Eurostat Crop Statistics;
• LUCAS Earth Observations 2015;
• Good Agricultural Environmental Conditions (GAEC) (2010);
• Digital Elevation Model (DEM) 25m

On a non-regular basis, as soon as new data become available. Usually, new data points are disseminated within 3 years after the reference year.

Joint Research Centre (JRC) publishes data on a non-regular basis.

Usually, new data points are disseminated within 3 years after the reference year.

Comparability across countries is considered good.

Comparability over time is considered good.