Facts & Figures

A growing body of evidence suggests that biotechnology is helping agriculture enter a new era of efficiency and sustainability. In the hands of farmers, better seeds are helping the world grow more, while using less. Researchers around the world, in both the public and private sectors, are working to improve seeds through the use of advanced breeding and biotechnology. Together with better farming techniques, these advanced seeds can help farmers meet the world's demand for food, clothing and fuel while also helping to reducing the need for water, land, pesticides and fossil fuels. In this month's Spotlight, we'll highlight the findings of a new report on the status of biotech crops, and discuss their role in meeting our growing global challenges.

Use the controls to rotate the globe and select a country to view the statistics.

Alternatively, you can use the dropdown list to select a country.

EU-27

Learn more
Population in thousands (2010) 497,533
Average life expectancy (2008) 78
GDP per capita (2008) $30,852.24
Gross GPD in billions (2008) $15,347.70
Agriculture's share of GDP (2006) 2%

EU-27

The European Union (EU-27) is a block of 27 countries in Europe, and has a total population of about 500 million (2010). Agriculture employs 5.6 percent of the EU-27’s population (2007) and accounts for 2 percent of the GDP (2006). Major agricultural products produced by EU member countries include fruits, vegetables, soybeans, wheat, beef, dairy products and fish, among many others. Farmers grow biotech corn in Germany, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Spain. To learn more about the EU’s agriculture production and the role it plays in feeding, clothing and fueling the world, see the charts below.

sources