Spain is the second largest seller of pesticides in the EU

Spain ranks second in pesticide sales in the EU , with 59,856.3 tons in 2024, second only to France and ahead of Germany and Italy. These four countries—the main agricultural producers in the European Union—account for 67.9% of the total, according to Eurostat data analyzed by Servimedia.

Pesticides are chemical substances used in agriculture to kill or limit organisms that are considered pests because they can endanger agricultural production.

Pesticides can be divided into fungicides (against fungi), herbicides (against plants considered weeds), and insecticides (against insects). Statistics on pesticide sales are used as an indicator of the consumption of these substances in agriculture.

LEADER FOR SEVERAL YEARS

In 2024, the last year with available data, the volume of pesticides sold in the EU was 316,499.2 tons, 8% more than the previous year.

By country, France topped the list (69,830.7 tons), followed by Spain (59,856.3), Germany (45,174.5), and Italy (40,093.9). Conversely, the countries that sold the fewest pesticides were Malta (110.3), Luxembourg (129.4), and Slovenia (712.5).

Regarding the categories of pesticides sold, the largest sales volumes in 2024 were for fungicides and bactericides (40% of the total), followed by herbicides (35%) and insecticides and acaricides (17%).

Spain led the increase in sales in 2024 compared to the previous year (6,949.4 tons more), followed by France (5,147.3), Germany (4,580.6) and Poland (4,084.3).

The 316,499.2 tons sold across the EU during 2024 represent the second lowest figure in the historical series, which begins in 2011, only behind 2023 (292,021.7 tons).

Spain topped the pesticide sales rankings in 2011, from 2013 to 2017 and between 2019 and 2021, while France did the same in 2012, 2018 and since 2022.

Compared to 2011 , 14 of the 21 EU countries with available data recorded a decrease in pesticide sales in 2024. The steepest declines were recorded in Czechia (-44%), Italy (-43%), Ireland (-42%), and Portugal (-40%). Conversely, sales rose in only seven countries, with the largest increases in Latvia (68%), Austria (52%), and Lithuania (35%).