Average size of an agricultural holding is growing

In 2023 there were 57.4 thousand agricultural holdings in Latvia, which is 11.6 thousand or 17 % fewer than registered in the Agricultural Census 2020. Over the past 20 years, the total number of agricultural holdings has reduced by 31.7 % while the average size of a holding has increased 2.3 times, according to the provisional Integrated Farm Statistics 2023 compiled by the Central Statistical Bureau.

Agricultural area occupied 1.97 million hectares in 2023 and has not changed over the last three years. The average size of a farm has been growing gradually and last year it reached 34.8 hectares of agricultural land and 7.7 livestock units.

Compared to 2020, the number of small holdings managing under 10 hectares of agricultural area has reduced by 8.2 thousand in 2023. The number of large holdings managing more than 100 hectares of agricultural area has increased by 0.2 thousand. Last year, large holdings were managing 68.9 % of the total agricultural area (8 % more than 2020) and farming 54 % of the total livestock (2.4 % more than in 2020).

One economically active holding¹ was managing an average of 34.8 ha of agricultural area (6.3 ha more than in 2020). Over the past three years, the average area of both arable land and sown area per one holding has increased – by 4.3 ha or 22.5 % and 4.1 ha or 22.4 %, respectively.

Since 2020 the average cereal and pulse areas per one holding engaged in the crop farming have increased. In 2023, one farm on average had 44.7 ha of cereals (7.4 ha more than in 2020) and 24.1 ha of pulses (7.7 ha more). The average area of industrial crops (winter and spring rape, flax, medicinal plants, etc.) per farm have reduced slightly – from 53 ha in 2020 to 51.4 ha in 2023. The average rape areas have not changed and occupied 57.8 ha per holding.

Increase may be observed in the average number of dairy cows and pigs per one agricultural holding engaged in the livestock farming. The number of dairy cows grew from 12 in 2020 to 15 in 2023. Large holdings on average had 148 dairy cows (20 more than in 2020). The number of pigs has doubled – from 90 in 2020 to 192 in 2023. Large holdings on average had 1 583 pigs per farm (266 pigs or 20.2 % more) and small holdings 142.

EU legislation requires collecting integrated farm statistics every three years – in between the Agricultural Censuses conducted once in a decade. The survey is conducted in all European Union and European Economic Area countries based on a common methodology. The results produced will provide the latest information on the farm structure at regional and municipal level.

More detailed Integrated Farm Statistics 2023 will be available on the official statistics portal on 20 December 2024.

Methodological information

¹ Economically active holding – agricultural holding producing agricultural goods regardless of the volume of production and type of their use or preserving good agricultural and environmental conditions in the soil and managing more than 1 hectare of agricultural area or having a standard output of more than EUR 70 regardless of the managed area.

Media requests:
Communication Section
E-mail: media@csp.gov.lv
Phone: +371 27880666

More information:
Ilze Januška
Agricultural Statistics Section
E-mail: Ilze.Januska@csp.gov.lv
Phone: +371 67366896