Agri-environmental indicator - energy use

Data from November 2025

Planned article update: November 2026

Highlights

The agriculture and forestry sector accounted for about 3% of the EU’s total direct energy use. This share was similar to 2021 and 2022.

The EU’s total direct consumption of energy in 2023 was 3.3% less than in 2022. The rate of decline in the energy consumption by the agriculture and forestry sector was slighter (-1.1%).

This article presents statistics on the European Union's (EU) agri-environmental indicator energy use. It consists of an overview of data, complemented by the information needed to interpret these data. This article on energy use in the EU is part of a set of similar fact sheets, providing a comprehensive picture of the integration of environmental concerns into the common agricultural policy (CAP).

Energy is consumed directly by agriculture and forestry with the use of machinery (e.g. cultivation of fields with tractors) and the heating of livestock stables and greenhouses. Agriculture and forestry also uses energy indirectly, for the production of agrochemicals, farm machinery and buildings. Considerable amounts of natural gas are used to produce inorganic nitrogen fertilisers. However, these indirect uses of energy are not covered by this indicator.

Analysis at EU and country level

The direct consumption of energy by agriculture and forestry in 2023 was 3.3 % less than in 2022

In 2023, the EU’s total direct energy consumption — including oil, electricity, natural gas, renewables, and solid fossil fuels — was 873 million tonnes of oil equivalent. This represented 30 million tonnes less than in 2022. Within this total, the direct consumption of energy by the agriculture and forestry sector fell by almost 300 thousand tonnes, equivalent to a decline of -1.1% (see Table 1).

Table 1: Direct consumption of energy, 2021-2023
Source: Eurostat (nrg_bal_s)

The revised Energy Efficiency Directive (EU/2023/1791) raises the EU’s ambition on energy efficiency, supporting efforts to achieve the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% below 1990 levels by 2030. The accompanying legislative package includes policy areas on energy efficiency, renewable energy, land use, land change and forestry among others. The directive is enhanced by the REPowerEU plan , that aims to reduce the EU’s dependency on fossil fuel imports from Russia.

Against this background, the EU’s total energy consumption in 2023 was 3.3% less than in 2022 and 7.2% less than in 2021. The direct consumption of energy by the agriculture and forestry sector is one part of this overall total, and in 2023 was 1.1% lower than in 2022 and 8.0% less than in 2021.

There were contrasting developments among EU countries (see Figure 1). Direct energy use in the agriculture and forestry sector in 2023 was lower than in 2022 for 19 countries, with the sharpest rates of decline being in Malta (-22.5%), Estonia (-15.6%) and Ireland (-14.4%). By contrast, there were increases in 5 countries, the sharpest rates of which were in Poland (+8.3%) and Belgium (+4.1%). In three EU countries, energy use in the agriculture and forestry sector remained unchanged in 2023 compared with 2022.

Figure 1: Developments of the direct consumption of energy by agriculture and forestry
Source: Eurostat (nrg_bal_s)

Agriculture and forestry accounted for 3.0% of the total direct energy consumption of the EU in 2023.

Among EU countries, the Netherlands recorded the highest share of 7.8% (see Figure 2); this reflects the significant energy needs of the glasshouse production of fruit, vegetables and horticultural plants. Poland (5.2%), Latvia (5.0%) and Denmark (4.2%) also had relatively high shares. High energy use in agriculture reflects several factors, including low energy-efficiency levels, high-energy use equipment, energy-intensive farming activities such as livestock and greenhouse farming, large or dispersed farm structures that increase heating and transport needs, greater mechanisation, irrigation requirements, and the sector’s involvement in bioenergy production.

Figure 2: Share of the total direct consumption of energy by agriculture and forestry
Source: Eurostat (nrg_bal_s)

Oil and petroleum products remained the main type of energy consumed directly by agriculture and forestry in 2023

In 2023, oil and petroleum products (excluding biofuels) accounted for a majority (58.3%) of the EU agriculture and forestry sector’s direct consumption of energy. This was a significantly higher share than for the economy as a whole (37.4 %).

While oil and petroleum products remained the dominant fuel used by the agriculture and forestry sector in most EU countries, there were some distinctly different energy patterns.

Natural gas played an especially prominent role in the Netherlands and Belgium: in the Netherlands it accounted for slightly more than one half (51.6%) of the sector’s direct energy consumption in 2023, compared to the 15.1% share for oil and petroleum products; in Belgium, natural gas contributed 41.8% of total direct use. The share of natural gas in the energy mix used by the sector was also above the EU average in Slovakia (24.5%) and Lithuania (17.7%).

Electricity was the main type of energy used by the sector in Greece, accounting for almost two-thirds (65.4%) of the total in 2023. Electricity also played a significant role in several other EU countries, with shares above 20% in Cyprus, Denmark, Austria, Sweden, the Netherlands and Portugal.

Renewables and biofuels were also a key component of the energy mix in several countries. They accounted for more than 30% of direct energy consumption in the sector in Sweden and Austria, and more than 15% in Czechia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Slovakia and Lithuania (see Figure 3).

Figure 3: Fuel mix share of the direct consumption of energy by agriculture and forestry
Source: Eurostat (nrg_bal_s)

Between 2003 and 2023, the direct consumption of energy from renewables and biofuels across the whole economy doubled, accounting for 12.6 of total direct energy consumption in 2023. This trend was mirrored in the agriculture and forestry sector, where renewables and biofuels accounted for 11.7% of total direct energy consumption in 2023.

Energy consumption per hectare decreased slightly in the EU between 2022 and 2023

Comparing total energy consumption across countries must account for differences in size. To effectively analyse trends, a consistent denominator is essential, ideally one that's closely tied to the indicator being assessed. A widely adopted denominator for comparing agri-environmental indicators internationally is the utilised agricultural area, as it provides a relevant measure for understanding differences in agricultural energy use across different countries.

In 2023, the EU’s agriculture and forestry sector used an average of 165 tonnes of oil equivalent per hectare (TOE/ha) in direct energy consumption. The Netherlands reported a significantly higher average of 1 654 TOE/ha, largely due to its extensive production of fruit, vegetables, and plants in greenhouses.

Between 2022 and 2023, the average apparent energy consumption per hectare of utilised agricultural area (UAA) in the EU decreased by 1%. At country level, it can be observed that energy consumption per hectare of UAA was lower in 18 countries, with the largest decreases recorded in Malta (-18.6%), Estonia (-15.7%), Ireland (-11.3%), and Spain (-10.8%). By contrast, increases were recorded in five countries, the highest of which was in Poland (+9%), followed by Portugal (+6.4%), Belgium (+4.8%), Greece (+2.5%), and the Netherlands (+1.7%). In four EU countries, energy consumption per hectare remained unchanged in 2023 compared with 2022– see Figure 4.

Figure 4: Direct consumption of energy by agriculture and forestry
Source: Eurostat (tai04)

Source data for tables and graphs

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Data sources

Indicator definition

The indicator relates to the direct use of energy (solid fuels, petroleum products, gas, electricity, renewables, heat) by agriculture per hectare (ha) of UAA. It assesses the trend of energy consumption, per ha and per fuel type and is measured by the following indicators:

Main indicator

Total direct energy use at farm level in tonnes of oil equivalents per ha per year

Supporting indicator

Annual direct use of energy at farm level by fuel type (Toe/ha)

Links with other indicators

This indicator has links to a number of other AEI indicators that describe developments related to agriculture and the environment.

Data used and methodology

For a detailed description of the data source see the methodology of:

Energy Statistics (nrg_bal)
Crop products (for UAA) (apro_cp)

Data for Germany on energy use in agriculture are starting to become available but was not included in longer-term comparisons (Figure 4) as there are significant breaks in series.

Data are expressed in tonnes of oil equivalents. Tonne(s) of oil equivalent, abbreviated as toe, is a normalised unit of energy. By convention it is equivalent to the approximate amount of energy that can be extracted from one tonne of crude oil. It is a standardised unit, assigned a net calorific value of 41 868 kilojoules/kg and may be used to compare the energy from different sources.

The main data source for this indicator are the joint energy questionnaires (Eurostat - OECD- UNECE). Energy indicators are compiled on the basis of the data collected under the standard collection cycles of the "Energy Statistics Unit". The relevant energy data collections are regulated since 2008 with the entry-into-force of the Regulation (EC) No 1099/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2008 on energy statistics. The energy statistics derived from the Joint Eurostat/OECD-IEA/UNECE questionnaires aim at presenting the full spectrum of the energy balances positions from supply through transformation to final energy consumption by sector and fuel type. Energy consumption by agriculture is of negligible importance to overall energy flows. Though the energy statistics are of high quality in general, the data on energy consumption by agriculture are of lower quality due to errors and incomplete data (e.g. breaks in time series for Germany, as explained above). No corrections have been made to the data as published in the Eurostat database. Energy consumption as presented here may therefore be underestimated due to missing data. Errors and missing data may also affect the trends in energy consumption over time and by fuel type.

In the Joint Questionnaires agriculture, forestry and fishing were combined in one category until 2004. From 2004 the questionnaires have distinguished fishing separately from agriculture/forestry. In 2014, 20 countries and 5 other countries delivered separate data on fishing. For remaining countries it is possible that energy consumption by fishing is still included in the category agriculture/forestry. The share of fishing in the sum of energy consumption by agriculture, forestry and fishing is often not negligible. The shares in 2014 were: Iceland 85%, Norway 56%, Portugal 21%, Denmark 14%, Croatia 12%, Greece 9%, France and Italy 7%, Cyprus 6%, and in Latvia, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden 5%. The share of fishing was below 5% in Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Spain, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, and Romania.

Energy consumption by agriculture may be overestimated in countries with a significant forestry sector. From Denmark data have been received from the environmental accounts for energy use by agriculture, forestry and fishing separately and from Norway from the energy accounts. Data from these data sources show that the share of forestry in energy consumption by agriculture and forestry combined is around 1% in Denmark (1990-2008) and the share of forestry in energy consumption by agriculture and forestry combined is of minor significance in Norway (ca. 5% in 2007). For other countries data on the use of energy by forestry is not available and an estimate for the share of energy consumption in energy consumption by agriculture and forestry cannot be provided. In most countries however the energy consumption by forestry is expected to be of minor significance.

For the indicator per ha, land use data from crop statistics are used. These data are annually available. Agriculture is highly heterogeneous in the EU; to target policies data would be needed by farm-type and region. This would also allow using different denominators for different farm types, for example for livestock farms a more appropriate denominator could be the number of animals.

Context

Energy is consumed directly by agriculture with the use of machinery (e.g. cultivation of fields with tractors) and the heating of livestock stables and greenhouses. Agriculture also uses energy indirectly, for the production of agrochemicals, farm machinery and buildings. Considerable amounts of natural gas are used for the production of inorganic nitrogen fertilisers. The indicator currently only includes direct energy consumption.

Policy relevance and context

Following what was first set out in Europe 2020 (COM (2007) 1 final), the Energy Efficiency Directive (2012/27/EU) included a target of reducing, by 2020, final energy consumption in the EU by 20 % compared to projections. In December 2018, an amendment to this directive (EU 2018/2002) established an increased target of 32.5 % by 2030. With the European Green Deal, the Commission proposed a set of measures aiming to turn Europe into the first climate neutral continent by 2050. The revised Energy Efficiency Directive helps achieve this goal by significantly raising the ambition on energy efficiency and setting the goal of reducing EU final energy consumption by 11.7% by 2030, compared to 2020 projections for 2030.

To achieve energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emission targets, EU countries are required to deliver National Energy and Climate Plans. The Commission estimated, in the 2025 assessment of the national energy and climate plans (COM(2025) 274), that the EU is well on track to reach the 2030 GHG emission reduction targets, but further efforts are needed to reduce energy consumption by 11.7%.

To assess energy efficiency, data on energy consumption would need to be linked to outputs produced. The FP7 research project "State of the Art on Energy Efficiency in Agriculture" produced country data on energy consumption in different agro-production sectors in European countries. Scenario building showed that the specific energy input (direct and indirect energy) in crop production differed between countries for the same crop. For example, specific energy input in wheat production was estimated to be twice as high in Portugal as in the Netherlands.

The structure of direct and indirect energy use may reflect the potential for energy savings. The figures presented for agriculture in this fact sheet relate only to direct energy use and are therefore underestimations of the total energy use. Agriculture uses also energy indirectly through the use of fertilisers, pesticides, animal feed and agricultural machinery (which are produced using large amounts of energy). Data on indirect use of energy by agriculture are not available at EU-level.

Agri-environmental context

The use of machinery and mineral fertilisers has made it possible to increase agricultural productivity and improve yields and the supply of food. However, agriculture, as an energy user, contributes to the depletion of non-renewable energy resources and to global warming through energy-related emissions (like CO₂ emissions from fossil fuel combustion). To facilitate influencing energy consumption levels through policy measures, the factors which influence energy levels should be understood. The indicator could be improved if data would be available by farm-type and region.

Agriculture is also an energy producer through renewable resources such as biogas, biomass, wind and solar energy. The EU finances, through the CAP, investments in improving the energy efficiency in agriculture and food processing, as well as in renewable energy production on farms and in rural areas.

Explore further

Database

Link to Eurostat's database

Energy (nrg), see

Energy Statistics - quantities (nrg_quant)

Energy Statistics - quantities, annual data (nrg_quanta)

Energy balances (nrg_bal)

Simplified energy balances (nrg_bal_s)

Agriculture, see

Agricultural production (apro)

Crops (apro_crop)

Crop product (apro_cp)

Crop production in EU standard humidity (from 200 onwards)) (apro_cpsh)

Crop production in EU standard humidity (apro_cpsh1)

Cross cutting topics, see

Agri-environmental indicators

Final energy consumption by agriculture/forestry per hectare of utilised agricultural area (tai04)

Thematic section

Publications

Energy data - 2020 edition
Shedding light on energy in the EU — A guided tour of energy statistics (digital publication) — 2020 edition
Energy, transport and environment indicators - 2020 edition
Agriculture, forestry and fishery statistics - 2020 edition

Methodology

Energy Statistics (nrg_bal)
Crop production (apro_cp)

Legislation

Commission Communication COM(2006) 508 final - Development of agri-environmental indicators for monitoring the integration of environmental concerns into the common agricultural policy