Organic agriculture has developed rapidly worldwide during the last few years and is now practiced in approximately 120 countries of the world. Its share of agricultural land and farms continues to grow. The organic area increased worldwide in the year 2006 in relation to the previous year by 1,8 million to 30,4 million hectares. The largest part of the global organic area holds Oceania (42 %), followed by Europe (24%) and Latin America (16%). Global sales of organic food and drink have been increasing by over US $5 billion a year, reaching US $46 billion in 2007.

Since the beginning of the 1990s, organic farming has rapidly developed in almost all European countries. In 2004 in Europe, 6,5 million hectares were managed organically by around 167.000 farms. In the European Union more than 5,8 million hectares are under organic management, and there are almost 140.000 organic farms. The organic area out of the total Utilised Agricultural Area is around 4% across the EU-25, with a slight upward trend.

References:
European Commission – Eurostat (2007)
Organic Monitor: Organic Monitor Gives 2009 Predictions
Organic Monitor: The Global Market for Organic Food & Drink (2006)
The world of organic agriculture - statistics and emerging trends (2006, 2008)