SDG 2 - Zero hunger

Data extracted in April 2026.

Planned article update: June 2027.

Highlights

This article is a part of a set of statistical articles, which are based on the Eurostat publication ’Sustainable development in the European Union — Monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs in an EU context — 2026 edition’. This report is the tenth edition of Eurostat’s series of monitoring reports on sustainable development, which provide a quantitative assessment of progress of the EU towards the SDGs in an EU context.

SDG 2 seeks to end hunger and malnutrition, and ensure access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food. Realising this goal will largely depend on promoting sustainable production systems and increasing investment in rural infrastructure and agricultural research and development.

Zero hunger in the EU: overview and key trends

Achieving healthy diets and ensuring agricultural systems remain productive and sustainable are essential for achieving a healthy food system that is good for people and the planet. Monitoring SDG 2 in an EU context includes tracking developments in obesity, the sustainability of agricultural production and the environmental impacts of agricultural activities on land, water and the atmosphere. Good progress has been made towards SDG 2 over the assessed short-term period. There have been strong improvements in sustainable agricultural production practices, including labour productivity, public investment in farming, and reductions in the use and risk of pesticides. The area under organic farming has also grown in the EU, but stronger progress will be required to meet the respective target by 2030. Additionally, the share of obese people has fallen slightly in the EU. Progress has also been made in reducing ammonia emissions from agriculture and nitrate in groundwater. Intensive agriculture remains a major driver of biodiversity decline in the EU, as seen by a decline in the populations of common farmland birds.

Table 1: Indicators measuring progress towards SDG 2, EU
Table 2: Explanation of symbols for indicating progress towards SD objectives and targets

Malnutrition

A healthy diet means an adequate, well-balanced diet that meets the body’s dietary needs. Combined with regular physical activity and the avoidance of excessive alcohol consumption and tobacco use, a healthy diet is a cornerstone of good health. While ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition are key objectives of the 2030 Agenda, in Europe obesity is a more widespread nutrition-related health issue.

More than half of the adult EU population is overweight and every sixth person is obese

Obesity and pre-obesity are malnutrition problems related to changing consumption and activity habits and situations that favour such unhealthy habits. Combining a balanced nutritional diet with an active lifestyle is a challenge for many people. While the causes of obesity vary from person to person, the problem is generally attributed to unhealthy diets that are high in energy, fat (particularly trans and saturated fats), salt, sugar, and red and processed meat, while being low in fruit and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts. Low physical activity and sociological and hereditary factors are also important causes. The circumstances in which lifestyle choices are made, such as the food environment, are important determinants of healthy behaviours and obesity.

Obesity is a significant health issue in the EU, affecting more than 15% of the adult population in 2025. It is also a contributing factor in other diet-related non-communicable diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Obesity also disproportionately affects people with lower levels of education and tends to increase with age until late in life. According to the WHO, childhood obesity also remains an important public health problem in Europe, with one in three school-aged children classed as overweight or obese.

When considered alongside pre-obesity, the situation looks even more severe — more than half of the EU’s adult population was overweight in 2025. Patterns in the pre-obesity rate follow those of obesity, though pre-obesity affected more than twice as many Europeans as obesity (35.4% of the adult population) in 2025.

Between 2019 and 2025, the share of overweight (obese and pre-obese) people fell slightly, from 52.7% to 51.7%. This is largely due to a reduction in the share of pre-obese people, from 36.2% to 35.4% over that period, while the share of obese people fell by 0.2 percentage points only, affecting 16.3% of EU adults in 2025.

At the Member State level, the obesity rate rose in 17 countries between 2019 and 2025. The rate in 2025 was highest in Malta, with 26.6%, and lowest in Italy, with 7.0%. The obesity rate generally increases with age, peaking in the age group 65 to 74 years (20.4% obese in 2025) and decreasing again for people aged 75 and older. Obesity and pre-obesity rates also differ by educational attainment levels, with obesity rates ranging from 12.6% in 2025 for adults with tertiary education to 18.5 % for adults with lower secondary education or lower ^[1].

Sustainable agricultural production

Sustainable agricultural production is a key element in making food systems fair, healthy and environmentally friendly. A concerted effort is needed to foster a food-production system that is based on sustainable agricultural practices and produces an adequate food supply. Four indicators are used to monitor the strong interlinkages between agricultural production and the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability. These are: agricultural income and labour productivity; investment in agricultural research and innovation; organic farming; and pesticide use.

Labour productivity in agriculture and investment in the future of farming continue to progress favourably in the EU

To ensure its long-term viability, Europe’s agricultural sector needs to achieve economic sustainability. Labour productivity is an important component of this and can be partially measured using the indicator ‘agricultural real factor income per annual work unit (AWU)’.

Following a dip during the economic crisis from 2007 to 2009, agricultural real factor income per AWU has been rising in the EU. In 2025 it was 26.0% higher than in 2019 and 70.0% higher than in 2010. This is mainly a result of strong growth between 2016 and 2017 and again between 2021 and 2022, driven by increased output values (prices and/or yields) and reduced labour input ^[2]. After a slight decline from 2022 to 2024, the indicator reached a new high in 2025.

Agricultural real factor income per AWU varies considerably between Member States and farm types. It tends to be higher in countries with more mechanised, input-intensive production systems than in countries using more traditional, labour-intensive methods ^[3].

Investment in agricultural research and innovation is crucial for decoupling agricultural productivity from environmental impacts. Such investments in sustainable productivity growth in agriculture also help to keep EU farmers competitive and adaptable to challenges such as climate change and feeding a rising population. Overall national government support to agricultural research and development in the EU has risen in the short term, growing by 29.0% since 2019 to reach EUR 3.8 billion in 2024. It must be noted that as these data are expressed in current prices, part of the observed increase may reflect general price inflation rather than real growth in government expenditure.

Organic farming is increasing across the EU, but the pace needs to quicken considerably to reach the 2030 target

Organic farming is one example of a sustainable agricultural management system. It seeks to limit environmental impacts by using agricultural practices that encourage the responsible use of energy and natural resources, maintain or enhance biodiversity, preserve regional ecological balances, increase soil fertility and water quality, encourage high animal welfare standards, and enhance the capacity to adapt to climate change.

In the EU, the share of organic farming in total agricultural area grew by 2.4 percentage points between 2019 and 2024, to an estimated 10.9%. Growth has slowed in recent years, and the take-up of organic farming will need to accelerate considerably to achieve the 25% target by 2030. As of 2024, Estonia leads the EU with more than 22% of its agricultural area farmed organically, followed by Portugal with over 20% and Italy, Sweden, Czechia and Latvia with over 15%. In all other Member States, less than 15% of agricultural land was used for organic farming in 2024.

The EU has reduced the sales of chemical pesticides

The Zero Pollution Action Plan aims to reduce the EU food system’s dependency on pesticides and antimicrobials and sets a target to reduce chemical pesticides’ use and risk by 50 % by 2030. According to a trend analysis by the European Commission, the use and risk of chemical pesticides decreased by 58% between the baseline period of 2015–2017 and 2023, and the use of more hazardous pesticides fell by 27% over the same period. The EU has thus already achieved the 2030 target for the use and risk of chemical pesticides. Nevertheless, the presence of pesticides in soil and water continues to be a serious concern (also see the analysis on ‘Pesticides in rivers’ in the article on SDG 6). In its 2025 zero-pollution monitoring and outlook report on the issue, the European Environment Agency noted that despite progress in the EU, the reduced use and risk of chemical pesticides has not yet led to improvements in environmental quality.

To protect human and animal health, the EU aims to reduce its overall sales of antimicrobials for farmed animals and aquaculture by 50% by 2030. The use and misuse of antimicrobials in agriculture contributes to the problem of microbes, such as bacteria and fungi, becoming resistant to antimicrobials, which reduces the effectiveness of such treatments. According to a 2025 report from the European Medicines Agency, the EU had achieved a 24.3% reduction in sales of antimicrobials for farmed animals and in aquaculture by 2024 compared with the 2018 baseline. This is the result of declining sales in almost all Member States. The EU is therefore about halfway to meeting its 2030 target, but further declines are still needed, not least because sales actually increased between 2022 and 2024. In 2024, antimicrobial sales for farmed animals and in aquaculture varied strongly across Member States. They were highest in Cyprus and Italy and lowest in Sweden and Finland.

Environmental impacts of agricultural production

Agriculture can provide environmental benefits such as maintaining specific farmland ecosystems and diverse landscapes. In addition, agricultural land can also act as a carbon sink. However, as reported by the EEA, increases in agricultural productivity and a move towards intensive agriculture practices have contributed to the degradation of environmental conditions and climate change. The environmental impacts of agriculture include nutrient-related pollution, soil erosion and loss of biodiversity.

Ammonia emissions from agriculture and nitrate concentrations in groundwater bodies have fallen in recent years

Ammonia emissions and nitrates in groundwater are linked to excessive inputs of nitrogen from agricultural sources such as mineral fertiliser and livestock manure. Manure from livestock is rich in nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen (ammonia and nitrates) and is used as a fertiliser alongside chemical fertilisers. If properly treated, its application improves soil structure and enhances soil organic matter content, which increases carbon sequestration. But when mineral fertilisers or manure are not properly handled and spread, excess nutrients that are not taken up by plants are released into the environment (as ammonia in air and as nitrates and phosphorus in water). When ammonia enters the atmosphere, it pollutes the air and can land on soil and water, where it can harm sensitive vegetation systems, biodiversity and water quality through eutrophication and acidification.

Since the 1990s, Europe has seen a significant decrease in ammonia emissions from agriculture due to reductions in livestock density and nitrogen fertiliser use as well as changes in agricultural practices. In recent years, however, trends have been less clear, with ammonia emissions increasing between 2013 and 2016, falling to a new low of 3.0 million tonnes in 2022, and rising slightly to 3.1 million tonnes in 2023. It must be noted that the national and EU totals may mask considerable variations in fertiliser application and livestock densities at regional and local levels. According to a 2025 EEA-JRC monitoring report, reducing ammonia emissions from agriculture is critical for protecting ecosystems and preserving biodiversity.

The concentration of nitrate (NO₃) in EU groundwater has shown a long-term stagnation at around 19 milligrams per litre (mg/L). However, there has been a recent downward trend since 2018, with concentrations reaching 18.1 mg/L in 2023. This is 5.5% lower than in 2008 and 2.7% lower than in 2018. Nevertheless, hot spots exist where nitrate concentrations are above 50 mg/L, which is the limit set for drinkable water. Some of the countries struggling the most with high nitrate levels in groundwater are also among those with the highest ammonia emissions per hectare of utilised agricultural area in Europe, such as Belgium, Germany and Austria.

The agricultural sector is also responsible for significant quantities of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for 12% of total GHG emissions in the EU in 2024 ^[4]. The main GHG emissions from agricultural practices are carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O). Agricultural emissions are generally linked to the management of agricultural soils, livestock, rice production and biomass burning. While the EU’s total GHG emissions have decreased by 17% since 2019 (see the article on SDG 13 ‘Climate action’), emissions from the agricultural sector have fallen more slowly, by 6% over the same period. In 2024 they had reached 361 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, which is a 26% reduction on 1990 levels ^[5].

Soil erosion remains a major threat, but signs of improvement exist across the EU

Healthy soils are essential for sustainable and productive agricultural systems. Because soils take years to form, they can be considered a non-renewable resource for food production. One of the biggest threats to soil health in Europe is soil erosion, which can be caused by both wind and water. Though erosion is a natural process, inappropriate land management and other human activities can cause it to accelerate to such an extent that soil can be irreversibly lost. The area at risk of severe soil erosion by water (leading to the loss of more than 10 tonnes of soil per hectare per year) is a model-based indicator based on spatial data of rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility, topography, land cover and management practices.

In 2023, 190 087 square kilometres (km²) of EU land were at risk of severe soil loss from water erosion — an area equal to about 1.5 times Greece’s total land area. However, the risk of severe soil erosion has been decreasing in the EU, in part due to mandatory measures in the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Between 2016 and 2023, the share of the non-artificial erodible area ^[6] estimated to be at risk of severe soil erosion by water decreased from 5.3% to 5.1%. In absolute terms, this corresponds to a 3.4% decrease in the area at risk since 2016.

The EU’s farmland bird populations continue to decline sharply

Some agricultural landscapes provide valuable and unique habitats for a host of species, both common and threatened. However, biodiversity has suffered in the race to increase productivity and where the ecosystem services that support biodiversity have been undervalued economically or given inadequate regulatory protection. Species related to agroecosystems are likely to have fared worse without the agri-environmental measures contained in EU policies — primarily the Common Agriculture Policy — but as reported by the European Commission, measures have not yet been effective enough to halt overall biodiversity loss in agricultural habitats.

Farmland bird species depend on agricultural habitats. Because they are relatively visible, they are a good indicator species for monitoring biodiversity. The common farmland bird index measures the relative abundance and diversity of 39 farmland bird species compared with the 2000 base year. Between 2009 and 2024, the EU saw a dramatic 21.7% decline in common farmland birds, continuing a trend visible since 1990. Between 1990 and 2024, common farmland birds declined by 41.2%. Intensive agricultural practices and the use of pesticides have contributed to the loss of wildlife habitats as well as falling populations of insects. Insects are an important food source for many farmland birds and provide important ecosystem services such as pollination ^[7].

Main indicators

Obesity rate

This indicator is derived from the body mass index (BMI), which is defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in metres. People aged 18 years or over are considered obese if their BMI is equal to or greater than 30. The category ‘pre-obese’ refers to people with a BMI between 25 and less than 30. The category ‘overweight’ (BMI equal or greater than 25) combines the two categories pre-obese and obese. The data presented in this section stem from the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) and the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC).

Agricultural real factor income per annual work unit

Agricultural real factor income measures the income generated by farming, which is used to remunerate borrowed, rented or own factors of production (capital, labour and land). Annual work units (AWUs) are defined as full-time equivalent employment (corresponding to the number of full-time equivalent jobs), which is calculated by dividing total hours worked by the average annual number of hours worked in full-time jobs within the economic territory. This can be interpreted as a measure of labour productivity in agriculture. The data stem from the Economic Accounts for Agriculture (EAA), which provide detailed information on agricultural sector income.

Government support to agricultural R&D

This indicator refers to government budget allocations for R&D (GBARD). GBARD data measure government support to research and development (R&D) activities or, in other words, the level of priority that governments place on the public funding of R&D. GBARD data are built up using the guidelines laid out in the standard practice for surveys of research and experimental development, the OECD ’s Frascati Manual and the European Business Statistics Methodological Manual for R&D statistics. The data are expressed in current prices, meaning that the overall development of the indicator is in part also influenced by general price inflation.

Area under organic farming

This indicator is defined as the share of total utilised agricultural area (UAA) occupied by organic farming (existing organically farmed areas and areas undergoing conversion). Organic farming is a production method that puts the highest emphasis on environmental and wildlife protection and, with regard to livestock production, on animal welfare considerations. It avoids or largely reduces the use of synthetic chemical inputs such as fertilisers, pesticides, additives and medical products.

Use and risk of chemical pesticides

The indicator monitors the trends in the use and risk of chemical pesticides in the EU and its Member States. The use of pesticides entails risks and impacts on human health and the environment. The indicator is based on the quantities of active chemical substances contained in the pesticides which are placed on the market (sold), and therefore used, in each Member State, and the hazard properties of these active substances. The data are presented as an index relative to the average results for the period 2015 to 2017.

Ammonia emissions from agriculture

The indicator measures ammonia (NH₃) emissions as a result of agricultural production. These emissions result from manure management, applications of inorganic nitrogen fertilisers and animal manure applied to soil, as well as urine and dung deposited by grazing animals. Data for this indicator come from the EU inventory on air pollution compiled by the European Environment Agency (EEA) under the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP) and are fully consistent with national air pollution inventories compiled by EU Member States. Data on the utilised agricultural area (UAA) stem from Eurostat’s annual crop statistics. The definition of this indicator is based on the CAP indicator C45 Emissions from agriculture.

Source data for tables and graphs

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Context

Malnutrition

The EU undertakes a number of public health initiatives related to nutrition (see this overview of EU policy initiatives in the areas of nutrition and physical activity). The EU supports healthier diets in children through the EU School Scheme; in July 2025, the Commission tabled a new proposal for a Council Regulation updating the scheme.

Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan also highlights the importance of addressing obesity and diabetes from an early age.

Sustainable agricultural production

A sustainable, well-functioning and robust food system is essential for ensuring food security. The EU undertakes measures to safeguard food security and to respond effectively to crises that affect or could affect food security.

The Vision for Agriculture and Food provides a roadmap for the future of farming and food in Europe. It aims to foster a thriving EU farming and agri-food sector for current and future generations of farmers and agri-food operators.

The Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 aims to bring back at least 10% of agricultural area under high-diversity landscape features to provide space for wild animals, plants, pollinators and natural pest regulators. The strategy also calls for at least 25% of agricultural land to be under organic farming management by 2030.

The Zero Pollution Action Plan provides a compass to embed pollution prevention into all relevant EU policies, to step up implementation of the relevant EU legislation and to identify possible gaps. It aims to improve soil quality by reducing nutrient losses and chemical pesticides’ use and risk by 50% by 2030.

The EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) provides income support, market measures and rural development measures to safeguard farmers’ income and increase agricultural productivity while protecting rural landscapes, tackling climate change and fostering sustainable management of natural resources.

Environmental impacts of agricultural production

The National Emission-reduction Commitments Directive (NEC Directive) sets national emission-reduction commitments for Member States and the EU for five important air pollutants, including ammonia.

The Nitrates Directive protects water quality by preventing agricultural nitrates from polluting ground and surface waters and by promoting good farming practices.

The EU Soil Strategy for 2030 sets out a framework and concrete measures to protect and restore soils and ensure their sustainable use. The new Soil Monitoring Law aims to ensure soil is protected in the same way as water, air and the marine environment.

The EU has funded research and improved soil monitoring through projects such as LUCAS, which is a survey on land cover, land use and agri-environmental indicators run by Eurostat, and Copernicus, the EU’s Earth Observation and Monitoring Programme.

Footnotes

Eurostat (online code: ilc_hch10). ↑
Source: Eurostat (online data codes: aact_eaa05 and aact_ali02). ↑
Input-intensive agriculture increases agricultural productivity through consumable inputs, such as chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and capital inputs, such as highly mechanised approaches. Mechanised inputs frequently substitute labour inputs as factors of production. ↑
2024 data for GHG emissions presented in this report have been calculated based on the approximated estimates for greenhouse gas emissions published by the European Environment Agency: EEA (2025), Approximated estimates for greenhouse gas emissions. ↑
Source: Eurostat (online data code: env_air_gge). ↑
Generally, artificial, sandy, rocky and icy surfaces as well as wetlands and water bodies are not included in the land area used in calculating the soil-erosion indicator (see online metadata: sdg_15_50). ↑
European Environment Agency (2025), Common bird index in Europe. ↑

Explore further

Database

Sustainable Development Indicators

Thematic section

Sustainable Development Indicators

Publications

Further reading on zero hunger

Methodology

More detailed information on EU SDG indicators for monitoring of progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as indicator relevance, definitions, methodological notes, background and potential linkages can be found in the introduction as well as in Annex II of the publication ’Sustainable development in the European Union — Monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs in an EU context — 2026 edition’.

External links

Further data sources on zero hunger

[1] Eurostat (online code: ilc_hch10). ↑

[2] Source: Eurostat (online data codes: aact_eaa05 and aact_ali02). ↑

[3] Input-intensive agriculture increases agricultural productivity through consumable inputs, such as chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and capital inputs, such as highly mechanised approaches. Mechanised inputs frequently substitute labour inputs as factors of production. ↑

[4] 2024 data for GHG emissions presented in this report have been calculated based on the approximated estimates for greenhouse gas emissions published by the European Environment Agency: EEA (2025), Approximated estimates for greenhouse gas emissions. ↑

[5] Source: Eurostat (online data code: env_air_gge). ↑

[6] Generally, artificial, sandy, rocky and icy surfaces as well as wetlands and water bodies are not included in the land area used in calculating the soil-erosion indicator (see online metadata: sdg_15_50). ↑

[7] European Environment Agency (2025), Common bird index in Europe. ↑

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