Sales of pesticides increased for the second year in a row
According to Statistics Estonia, 853.7 tonnes of pesticides by active substance were placed on the market in Estonia in 2025. This is a tenth more than the year before.
Swen Peterson, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that herbicides are still the most sold plant protection products. “In 2025, the sales of herbicides totalled 632 tonnes, which is over 34.7 tonnes more than in 2024. Within the available time series, it is also the largest quantity of herbicides placed on the market in Estonia in one year. Compared with 2024, the sales of insecticides and fungicides increased by about 30%,” added Peterson.
Herbicides accounted for 74%, fungicides for 15.7%, growth regulators for 7.6% and insecticides for 1.9% of the total amount of pesticides sold. In recent years, there has been a rise in the quantities of herbicides and insecticides placed on the market. The sold quantities of other pesticides also increased compared with the previous year.
Sales of pesticides, 2011–2025
| Herbicides | Other pesticides | |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 357 | 104 |
| 2012 | 437 | 117 |
| 2013 | 434 | 137 |
| 2014 | 426 | 174 |
| 2015 | 472 | 219 |
| 2016 | 604 | 230 |
| 2017 | 463 | 244 |
| 2018 | 428 | 215 |
| 2019 | 531 | 221 |
| 2020 | 511 | 273 |
| 2021 | 607 | 287 |
| 2022 | 507 | 270 |
| 2023 | 516 | 197 |
| 2024 | 597 | 185 |
| 2025 | 632 | 221 |
Compared with other European Union countries, the absolute quantities of pesticides placed on the market in Estonia* are relatively small. “In 2024, the greatest quantity of pesticides was sold in France – 69,930 tonnes. It was followed by Spain with 59,860 tonnes and Germany with 45,175 tonnes. In the same year, the quantity of pesticides sold was 3,410 tonnes in Finland, 3,660 tonnes in Lithuania and 1,810 tonnes in Latvia,” noted Peterson.
Based on the amount of plant protection products sold per hectare of utilised agricultural area, Malta was at the top in 2024 with 10.7 kg per hectare. It was followed by Cyprus with 7.6 kg and the Netherlands with 4.3 kg per hectare. The sold quantities per hectare were 1.51 kg in Finland, 1.28 kg in Lithuania, 0.92 kg in Latvia and 0.87 kg in Estonia.
Pesticides are used not only for agricultural purposes but also in forestry, wood processing, road and railway maintenance, and sports grounds, playgrounds and parks. Some pesticides can be bought by anyone for use in home gardens.
* In the international comparison, 2025 data are used for Estonia.
Pesticides placed on the market are pesticides bought abroad and brought to Estonia for sale. Pesticides are used for weed, plant pest, parasite and insect control. The use of pesticides can fluctuate from year to year depending on climate conditions and variability in plant damages and diseases.
Statistics Estonia collects and analyses the data on the sales and use of pesticides for the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture, with the aim to obtain data on the environment in Estonia.
For the international comparison, data on pesticide sales in other European Union countries according to Eurostat are used (the latest data available refer to 2024).
Data as at 12 June 2026 are published. The indicator values may change if there are any revisions made in the data sources after this date.
See also the agriculture and environment section on our website. More detailed data have been published in the statistical database.
When using Statistics Estonia’s data and graphs, please indicate the source.
For further information:
Annaliisa Köss
Media Relations Partner
Marketing and Dissemination Department
Statistics Estonia
Tel +372 5696 6484
press [at] stat.ee