Agricultural support exceeded $950 billion in 2025 in the 56 OECD countries. The report published on 2 November 2026 shows an increase of almost 15% since 2023. But investments in utilities are moving faster than the value of production over the long term.
The organisation calls on governments to better prepare farms for crises, rather than to increase emergency responses. The finding relates to the destination of the support as well as its amount. It distinguishes transfers to farmers, services to the sector and consumer aid.
Agricultural support not limited to subsidies
The total announced is not just money from public budgets. The OECD also measures the effects of policies that keep domestic agricultural prices above international standards. In this case, some support for producers comes from consumers through prices.
The report covers the 38 OECD members, five other EU Member States and thirteen emerging or developing economies. Egypt and Peru join the perimeter this year. These results therefore do not represent an inventory of all countries in the world.
The recent increase reverses an old downward trend in support relative to the agricultural value produced. This ratio reached 19.1% in 2025, compared with 17.6% in 2023. It indicates an increased weight of interventions measured by the organization in the economies concerned.
Public services weigh less than at the beginning of the century
General services expenditures average $118 billion per year over the period 2023-2025. This category includes infrastructure, research and innovation. Their weight falls to 2.4% of the production value, compared with 4.6% in 2000-2002.
| Indicator | Period | Expected result |
|---|---|---|
| Total sector support | 2025 | Over $950 billion |
| Average total support | 2023-2025 | $885 billion per year |
| General Service | 2023-2025 | $118 billion per year |
| Weight of general services in production | 2000-2002 and 2023-2025 | 4.6% followed by 2.4% |
The periods differ: the 2025 record is an annual value, while the following two amounts are three-year averages. General services are a component of total support. They must not be added as an external expenditure in total.
General service expenditures are increasing in nominal terms, but their weight in production is decreasing. The decline since 2000 is therefore a proportion, according to OECD data.
Productivity slows down, research stays down
The OECD communiqué brings this imbalance closer to the slowdown in agricultural productivity gains. Their annual growth increased from 1.8% over the period 1991-2000 to 0.8% between 2014 and 2023. These averages do not describe a variation in the 2025 harvest alone.
Public investment in knowledge and innovation systems represents 0.5% of the production value in 2023-2025. It reached 0.9 per cent in 2000-2002. This subset concerns research and knowledge dissemination capabilities beyond immediate income support.
Emergency response has increased in response to weather and geopolitical shocks. The organization’s diagnosis does not deny these needs. He called for a better articulation of their treatment with the investments needed to limit the damage of the following crises.
Part of the cost is based on consumers
In 2023-2025, the OECD estimates the net cost to consumers of agricultural policies at $204 billion per year. The budgetary aid intended for them does not fully offset the additional costs associated with prices.
This amount is equivalent to 4.4 per cent of their expenditure measured at primary agricultural commodity prices. This is neither a general rate of food inflation nor an identical tax levied on each household. The indicator aggregates transfers whose forms and extent vary by country.
The OECD proposes to better target aid, strengthen risk management and finance infrastructure and innovation more. It also calls for linking measures to measurable environmental outcomes. The report makes more than 150 recommendations per country; implementation is now the responsibility of the authorities concerned.
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