Share of younger farmers is up slightly

© CBS
A total of 10 percent of farmers and farm managers in the agriculture sector are under the age of 40 according to new figures for 2025. The share of younger farmers has therefore increased slightly, up from 8 percent in 2015. Over the same period, the share of farmers aged 67 or above has increased even more: from 17 percent to 21 percent. This is according to provisional figures from the agricultural census carried out by Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

In 2025, there were nearly 5 thousand holdings where the farmer or farm manager was aged under 40, making up 10 percent of the total. The total number of agricultural and horticultural holdings has been declining for several decades. At the same time, however, those holdings have been getting ever larger. For many farms, it is unclear who will succeed the current farmer. The share of young farmers is highest in the horticulture sector (13 percent), followed by farms with non-grazing livestock (12 percent).


Arable farming has the most older farmers, with 31 percent of farmers aged 67 or older. In total, there are 10.5 thousand agricultural holdings where the farmer is 67 or older. Almost half of those farms have grazing animals.

More younger farmers on larger farms

Larger holdings (with a standard output of 500 thousand euros or more) are more likely to have a younger farmer or manager. Currently, almost 15 thousand farms have a standard output (SO) of 500 thousand euros or more (according to the figures for 2025). A farmer younger than 40 is in charge at 14 percent of those farms. The share of farmers aged 67 or above in this size class is the lowest: below 9 percent.

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