Rye Cultivation Trends: Leading Producers and Global Acreage

Table of contents

Abstract
Land use of rye (around the world)
Land use of rye (latest year, countries around the world)
Rye land use (continent)
Rye land use (latest year, continental)
Main data
Reference

Abstract

Rye cultivation has historically been concentrated in regions with colder climates, especially in Europe and parts of Russia. As of 2022, Russia leads in rye production, with 883,000 hectares (kha) dedicated to its cultivation, reflecting its favorable climate for this crop. Rye is typically used for food, animal feed, and industrial purposes, particularly in the production of bread, whiskey, and biofuels. Over the years, global rye acreage has fluctuated, with countries like Poland, Germany, and Ukraine also being significant producers. Trends show a shift in land use due to changing diets, market demand, and environmental factors.

Land use of rye (around the world)

Rye cultivation has experienced significant fluctuations in Russia, peaking at 7.57 million hectares (mha) in 1992. Since then, rye acreage has declined, with Russia currently at 11.7% of its peak, reflecting broader trends in global agriculture. The decline is attributed to changes in dietary preferences, the shift toward more profitable crops, and evolving agricultural practices. Despite this, rye remains important for food, animal feed, and industrial uses, particularly in colder climates. Other major producers, such as Poland and Germany, have also seen varying trends in rye acreage over the decades.

The maximum is 1.46G[2021] of China, and the current value is about 97.8%

Land use of rye (latest year, countries around the world)

In 2022, Russia led global rye cultivation with 883,000 hectares (kha), far surpassing the global average of 61.8 kha per country. Rye’s global total acreage stood at 4.02 million hectares (mha), highlighting its importance in certain regions, particularly in cooler climates. Historically, rye has been vital for food, animal feed, and industrial uses like whiskey production. Trends show a gradual decline in global rye acreage, influenced by shifts toward more profitable crops and changes in consumer demand. Russia, while still dominant, has seen its rye acreage decrease significantly from its peak.

The maximum is 1.43G of China, the average is 58.5M, and the total is 3.8G

Rye land use (continent)

Rye cultivation in Europe reached its peak at 26.6 million hectares (mha) in 1961, marking the highest value recorded for the crop. Rye has traditionally thrived in cooler climates, particularly in northern and eastern Europe, where it is used for food, animal feed, and industrial products like alcohol. Since the peak, global rye acreage has steadily declined, with shifts in land use toward more profitable crops like wheat and corn. While still important in certain regions, rye’s role in global agriculture has diminished due to changes in agricultural practices, market demand, and dietary preferences.

The maximum is the latest one, 4.72G of Asia

Rye land use (latest year, continental)

In 2022, Europe dominated global rye cultivation with 3.16 million hectares (mha), representing the largest share of global acreage, which totaled 4.02 mha. The global average for rye land use per country was 669,000 hectares (kha). Rye is primarily grown in cooler climates, where it serves as a staple for food, animal feed, and industrial uses like alcohol production. Over time, global rye acreage has declined due to shifts toward more lucrative crops and changing dietary preferences. Despite this, Europe remains the central region for rye cultivation, maintaining its historical dominance.

The maximum is 4.72G of Asia, the average is 1.47G, and the total is 7.37G

Main data

Others(Rye, Population) [G]
	World	Asia	Lower-middle-income countries	Upper-middle-income countries	Southern Asia	Net Food Importing Developing Countries	Eastern Asia	China	India	Africa
2022	7.98	4.72	3.45	2.56				1.43		1.43
2021	7.91	4.68	3.41	2.55	1.99	1.7	1.66	1.46	1.41	1.37
2020	7.84	4.65	3.37	2.54	1.97	1.67	1.66	1.46	1.4	1.34
2019	7.76	4.61	3.33	2.53	1.95	1.63	1.66	1.45	1.38	1.3
2018	7.68	4.57	3.28	2.52	1.93	1.59	1.66	1.45	1.37	1.26
2017	7.6	4.53	3.24	2.5	1.9	1.56	1.65	1.44	1.35	1.23
2016	7.51	4.48	3.19	2.48	1.88	1.53	1.64	1.43	1.34	1.2
2015	7.43	4.44	3.14	2.46	1.86	1.5	1.63	1.43	1.32	1.17
2014	7.34	4.39	3.1	2.44	1.83	1.46	1.62	1.42	1.31	1.14
2013	7.25	4.35	3.05	2.42	1.81	1.43	1.61	1.41	1.29	1.11
2012	7.16	4.3	3.01	2.4	1.79	1.4	1.6	1.4	1.27	1.08
2011	7.07	4.25	2.96	2.38	1.76	1.34	1.59	1.39	1.26	1.02
2010	6.99	4.2	2.91	2.36	1.74	1.31	1.58	1.38	1.24	0.99
2009	6.9	4.09	2.87	2.35	1.66	1.21	1.58	1.38	1.22	0.91
2008	6.81	4.04	2.82	2.33	1.64	1.19	1.58	1.37	1.21	0.89
2007	6.73	4	2.78	2.31	1.61	1.17	1.57	1.36	1.19	0.87
2006	6.64	3.96	2.74	2.29	1.59	1.14	1.56	1.36	1.17	0.85
2005	6.56	3.91	2.69	2.28	1.57	1.12	1.55	1.35	1.15	0.83
2004	6.48	3.87	2.65	2.26	1.55	1.1	1.54	1.34	1.14	0.81
2003	6.39	3.83	2.6	2.24	1.52	1.08	1.53	1.33	1.12	0.79
2002	6.31	3.78	2.56	2.23	1.5	1.06	1.52	1.32	1.1	0.77
2001	6.23	3.74	2.51	2.21	1.47	1.03	1.51	1.32	1.08	0.75
2000	6.15	3.69	2.47	2.19	1.45	1.01	1.51	1.31	1.06	0.74
1999	6.07	3.65	2.42	2.17	1.42	0.99	1.5	1.3	1.04	0.72
1998	5.99	3.6	2.38	2.16	1.4	0.97	1.49	1.29	1.02	0.7
1997	5.91	3.56	2.33	2.14	1.37	0.95	1.48	1.29	1	0.68
1996	5.83	3.51	2.29	2.12	1.35	0.93	1.47	1.28	0.98	0.67
1995	5.74	3.46	2.24	2.1	1.32	0.9	1.46	1.27	0.96	0.65
1994	5.66	3.41	2.2	2.08	1.29	0.88	1.45	1.25	0.95	0.64
1993	5.58	3.36	2.15	2.05	1.27	0.86	1.43	1.24	0.93	0.62
1992	5.49	3.31	2.11	2.03	1.24	0.85	1.42	1.23	0.91	0.61
1991	5.41	3.18	2.07	2.01	1.22	0.82	1.4	1.21	0.89	0.6
1990	5.32	3.13	2.02	1.98	1.19	0.8	1.38	1.19	0.87	0.58
1989	5.22	3.07	1.98	1.95	1.17	0.78	1.36	1.17	0.85	0.57
1988	5.13	3.01	1.93	1.92	1.14	0.76	1.34	1.15	0.83	0.55
1987	5.04	2.95	1.89	1.88	1.11	0.74	1.31	1.13	0.82	0.54
1986	4.95	2.89	1.84	1.85	1.09	0.72	1.29	1.11	0.8	0.52
1985	4.86	2.83	1.8	1.82	1.06	0.71	1.27	1.09	0.78	0.51
1984	4.78	2.77	1.76	1.79	1.04	0.69	1.25	1.07	0.76	0.49
1983	4.69	2.72	1.72	1.76	1.01	0.67	1.23	1.05	0.75	0.48
1982	4.61	2.67	1.67	1.73	0.99	0.65	1.21	1.04	0.73	0.47
1981	4.52	2.61	1.63	1.71	0.97	0.63	1.2	1.02	0.71	0.45
1980	4.44	2.56	1.59	1.68	0.94	0.62	1.18	1.01	0.7	0.44
1979	4.37	2.51	1.55	1.65	0.92	0.6	1.16	0.99	0.68	0.43
1978	4.29	2.47	1.51	1.63	0.9	0.59	1.15	0.98	0.67	0.42
1977	4.22	2.42	1.48	1.6	0.88	0.57	1.13	0.97	0.65	0.41
1976	4.14	2.37	1.44	1.58	0.86	0.56	1.12	0.95	0.64	0.4
1975	4.07	2.32	1.41	1.55	0.83	0.55	1.1	0.93	0.62	0.39
1974	4	2.27	1.38	1.52	0.82	0.53	1.08	0.92	0.61	0.38
1973	3.92	2.22	1.35	1.49	0.8	0.52	1.06	0.9	0.6	0.37
1972	3.84	2.17	1.32	1.46	0.78	0.51	1.03	0.88	0.58	0.36
1971	3.77	2.12	1.29	1.43	0.76	0.49	1.01	0.85	0.57	0.35
1970	3.7	2.07	1.26	1.4	0.74	0.48	0.98	0.83	0.56	0.34
1969	3.62	2.02	1.23	1.37	0.73	0.47	0.96	0.81	0.55	0.33
1968	3.55	1.97	1.2	1.34	0.71	0.46	0.93	0.79	0.53	0.32
1967	3.48	1.92	1.17	1.31	0.69	0.45	0.91	0.77	0.52	0.31
1966	3.41	1.88	1.14	1.28	0.68	0.44	0.89	0.75	0.51	0.31
1965	3.34	1.83	1.12	1.25	0.66	0.42	0.87	0.73	0.5	0.3
1964	3.27	1.79	1.09	1.22	0.65	0.41	0.85	0.71	0.49	0.29
1963	3.2	1.75	1.07	1.18	0.63	0.4	0.83	0.7	0.48	0.28
1962	3.13	1.72	1.04	1.15	0.62	0.39	0.82	0.69	0.47	0.28
1961	3.07	1.69	1.02	1.13	0.61	0.38	0.81	0.68	0.46	0.27