The year 2024 confirmed the rise in farmland prices for the third year running, reaching a record level of €6,400/ha for vacant land, despite a contraction in the market, which fell below the 100,000-transaction mark for the first time since 2020.
We have analysed for you the latest figures from SAFER (L'analyse des marchés fonciers ruraux - mai 2025), supplemented by data from the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty.
The number of transactions recorded by SAFER for land and meadow sales in 2024 was 98,350, down 5.9% on 2023. This is the first time since 2020 that the market has fallen below the symbolic 100,000 annual sales mark.
The surface area sold also fell by 5.2% to 431,200 hectares. This contraction in the market was accompanied by an even sharper drop in the overall value of transactions, which fell by 17.7% to €6.17 billion.
This trend continues the downturn that began in 2023, bringing the market back to the levels seen before the health crisis of 2020.
| Indicateur | 2023 | 2024 | Évolution (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of transactions | 104 560 | 98 350 | -5,9% |
| Area exchanged (ha) | 454 900 | 431 200 | -5,2% |
| Total value (€ billion) | 7,496 | 6,17 | -17,7% |
Despite the contraction in the market, the price of undeveloped land continues to rise for the third year running. It will reach €6,400/ha in 2024, an increase of 3.2% compared with 2023.
This increase, which was more marked than in 2023 (+1.5%), can be explained in particular by the easing of interest rates in 2024, after a period of intense pressure when interest rates quadrupled between 2022 and 2023.
| Type of land | Prix 2023 (€/ha) | Prix 2024 (€/ha) | Évolution (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open land | |||
| Arable crops | 7 710 | 7 820 | +1,4% |
| Cattle farming | 4 630 | 4 790 | +3,3% |
| Mixed farming | 6 170 | 6 450 | +4,6% |
| Leased land | |||
| Arable crops | 6 450 | 6 570 | +1,8% |
| Cattle farming | 3 900 | 3 950 | +1,2% |
| Mixed farming | 5 020 | 5 110 | +2,0% |
Beef farming areas saw the biggest increase (+3.3%) as milk and meat prices stabilised at higher levels than in previous years.
The average sale price of rented land also rose by 2.0% to €5,220/ha. This confirms the upward trend seen in recent years.
The price differential between unleased and leased land remains stable at around 18%, with the traditional discount between leased and unleased land remaining similar to previous years.
The increase in the national average price is based on an almost generalised upward trend throughout the country. Only two regions are exceptions, with minimal decreases:
The most pronounced increases were recorded in :
| Région | Prix 2024 (€/ha) | Évolution 2024/2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | 11 930 | +13,6% |
| Hauts-de-France | 10 950 | +7,7% |
| Normandie | 9 340 | +3,5% |
| Île-de-France | 7 750 | +2,2% |
| Occitanie | 7 280 | +0,7% |
| Grand Est | 6 810 | +7,4% |
| Centre-Val de Loire | 6 670 | +4,7% |
| Bretagne | 6 520 | +5,8% |
| Nouvelle-Aquitaine | 5 470 | +0,6% |
| Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 4 860 | +3,8% |
| Pays de la Loire | 4 040 | -0,5% |
| Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | 2 920 | -0,3% |
Prices in the New Aquitaine and Occitania regions, which have been hit by agricultural difficulties, have risen moderately (+0.6% and +0.7% respectively).
Although individual farmers remain the leading purchasers in terms of surface area (49.3%), their proportion has been declining for several years and will fall again in 2024 (-6.8% in number, -9.7% in surface area).
Conversely, purchases by agricultural companies are rising sharply (+6.2% in number, +6.3% in surface area), confirming the long-term trend towards the corporatisation of French agriculture.
Purchases by non-farmers (investors, private individuals) fell both in number (-9.9%) and in surface area (-5.0%).
Alongside the traditional land market, the share market continues to grow. In 2024, 8,530 share movements were recorded, involving 7,550 companies farming a total of 955,500 hectares.
The value of this market reached €3.446 billion, up 86% year-on-year. These figures, more representative of reality after the first year of application of the Sempastous law, bear witness to the growing importance of this segment.
With inflation averaging 2.0% per annum in 2024, well below the 4.9% in 2023, the rise in land prices (+3.2%) this year means that the real value of land holdings has been maintained slightly, unlike in previous years.
This relative improvement contrasts with the period 2018-2023, when cumulative inflation (15.5%) far exceeded the rise in land prices, leading to an erosion in the purchasing power of property.
The farmland market in 2024 is therefore characterised by a dichotomy between a falling volume of activity and prices that continue to rise. This situation can be explained by
This development raises questions about the accessibility of land for young farmers, and raises the issue of market regulation in the face of the increasing concentration of agricultural structures.
For a detailed analysis of your region or département, we invite you to consult our specialised articles by territory, available on our blog in the Land prices section.
