News Farmland
Grassland becomes 10.000 euros more expensive per hectare in one year
The average price of grassland rose to €86.400 per hectare last year. This means that over €10.000 more is paid for this land in a single year. This represents a substantial increase of almost 14%, according to figures from the Land Registry.
Grassland was the main driver of the average land price in 2025. Arable land also became more expensive, but to a lesser extent. The average price of arable land rose by 7% in 2025 to €106.700 per hectare. In the last quarter of last year, €102.300 per hectare was paid for maize land. This is the first time that the quarterly price of maize land has exceeded €100,000 per hectare.
More land was traded in the final quarter of last year than in the same period in 2024. Throughout 2025, nearly 34.000 hectares of agricultural land changed hands. This is the highest level in five years. According to the Land Registry, this underscores the high demand for land. Livestock farmers are trying to acquire more land to reduce manure disposal costs on their farms.
Land prices have risen the most sharply in Groningen, North Brabant, and North Holland over the past year. The rolling average over the past twelve months has increased by more than 20% in these provinces. In North Holland and North Brabant, this means that over €20.000 more was paid per hectare last year than in the same period before. In Groningen, the average price of agricultural land rose by more than €15.000 per hectare in 2025.
The new price upturn in Flevoland is also striking. For a long time, the price per hectare, according to Land Registry calculations, hovered just above €180.000 per hectare. In the last three months of last year, there was a significant increase, and the average over the past twelve months is close to €200,000 per hectare.
On the other hand, Zeeland stands out somewhat. While land prices elsewhere in the country have risen by 7% to 24%, Zeeland is actually seeing a dip in pricing. Over the past twelve months, land in Zeeland has not exceeded the 2024 average.
The average land price rose to €95.400 per hectare last year, according to figures from the Land Registry. This makes the price 60% higher than ten years ago. In 2016, the average price per hectare was €59.000. The annual price increase is 5,5%.
Inflation has played a significant role in rising prices. This is especially true since 2021, when consumer prices have risen by more than 5% annually. Before that, the effect was much smaller, with an increase of less than 2% between 2016 and 2021. However, even beyond inflation, land prices have also seen a significant increase. According to the Land Registry, the so-called real price increase was 8,4% last year. In the years 2022 to 2025, it was 5,5% annually.
John Ramaker
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