THE AGE DISTRIBUTION OF FARMERS & GROWERS
French farmers are
relatively young
European farmers and growers are getting on in years, with five farmers aged
over 65 for every one under 35. French farmers are among the youngest.
European farmers and growers are getting on in
years: only 7% are under 35, and 32% are over
65. In Portugal, Romania, Bulgaria and Italy, over
40% of all farmers fall into the oldest age group.
Conversely, the percentage of over-65s is under
10% in Austria, Germany and Finland. French farmers and growers are among the youngest in
Europe. The percentage of over-65s is only half
as big again as the proportion of under-35s. The
ratio is five to one for the European Union as a
whole, but is ten to one or more in Bulgaria, Italy
and Portugal. In only three countries does the
number of farmers under 35 years of age exceed
Percentage of farmers under 35
% of total number of farmers
9.0 - 12.6
7.7 - 9.0
6.6 - 7.7
5.2 - 6.6
2.3 - 5.2
EU 27 : 6.9
EU 15 : 5.9
those over 65 years of age: Austria, Germany and
Finland.
Definition
EUROSTAT defines a farmer as the individual or legal
entity for whom the holding generates value. In most cases
he or she will be at the head of the holding and responsible for its day-to-day management. There is therefore
only one farmer per agricultural holding.
More statistics on page 26.
Number of farmers 65 years of age or more
for every 100 farmers aged under 35
Portugal
Italy
Bulgaria
Cyprus
Romania
Slovenia
Slovakia
United Kingdom
Lithuania
Greece
EU 15
Spain
EU 27
Estonia
Malta
Latvia
Hungary
Sweden
Netherlands
Belgium
Denmark
Ireland
Luxembourg
Czech Rep.
France
Poland
Austria
Germany
Finland
862
801
764
657
619
589
540
514
508
463
404
358
355
351
327
315
280
247
200
175
168
150
135
82
80
68
0
Source: Eurostat Farm Structure Survey 2005
8
AGRESTE Dossiers - Issue n°. 1, June 2008
500
995
1 000
1 958
1 186
1 500
Source: Eurostat Farm Structure Survey 2005
2 000