How to use origin information when buying olive oil<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav>\n\n\n\nStart with the season: what do the figures actually describe?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n International olive oil statistics use crop years rather than calendar years. The IOC\u2019s 2025\/26 campaign runs from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026. A bare reference to \u201c2026 production\u201d can therefore be misleading: it might mean a calendar year, the end of a campaign or a forecast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Editorial check: 20 October 2026. The linked IOC balance was adopted in November 2025. It treats 2023\/24 as final, 2024\/25 as provisional and 2025\/26 as estimated. For the EU, we also use the newer European Commission report based on notifications dated 15 July 2026. Its production estimate for 2025\/26 is not a final result. The source\u2019s reporting date matters just as much as the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All quantities refer to tonnes of olive oil, not tonnes of harvested olives and not exclusively extra virgin olive oil. The newly started 2026\/27 campaign is deliberately not presented here as a completed harvest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Global supply has recovered, with a major but not exclusive EU role<\/h2>\n\n\n\n The IOC balance puts world production at 2,589,000 tonnes in 2023\/24 and a provisional 3,572,000 tonnes in 2024\/25: an increase of approximately 38%. In the same publication, 2025\/26 is estimated at 3,440,000 tonnes, about 4% lower than the preceding season. These are the expectations published in that balance, not subsequently confirmed final totals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For 2024\/25, EU production of 2,110,000 tonnes represents around 59% of the world total of 3,572,000 tonnes. The matching IOC estimates for 2025\/26, 2,056,000 and 3,440,000 tonnes respectively, imply just under 60%. Describing the EU as \u201calways producing two thirds\u201d would not fit these two campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The newer Commission report estimates EU production for 2025\/26 at 2,047,627 tonnes. We do not combine that newer regional estimate with the older global estimate to imply a precisely updated world share. Different publications are revised on different schedules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
European producers: Spain leads, while other positions change<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Spain is by far the largest individual producer in this comparison. The Commission report gives 1,298,503 tonnes for 2025\/26, around 63% of its estimated EU total. Extensive growing areas and substantial milling capacity contribute to that scale. A high production volume is neither a quality certificate nor evidence of inferior oil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Italy moves from a provisional IOC figure of 248,000 tonnes for 2024\/25 to 324,898 tonnes in the newer EU estimate for 2025\/26. Greece records 250,000 and 231,000 tonnes in those columns. That change alone illustrates why a permanent ranking of \u201cSpain, Italy, Greece\u201d cannot accurately describe every harvest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Portugal is another significant EU producer. France, Croatia, Cyprus and Slovenia supply considerably smaller volumes. Their market size does not determine how interesting an individual oil tastes or how carefully a particular grower works.<\/p>\n\n\n\nProducer<\/th> 2023\/24<\/th> 2024\/25<\/th> 2025\/26<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Spain<\/th> 854,500<\/td> 1,419,100<\/td> 1,298,503<\/td><\/tr> Italy<\/th> 328,500<\/td> 248,000<\/td> 324,898<\/td><\/tr> Greece<\/th> 192,000<\/td> 250,000<\/td> 231,000<\/td><\/tr> Portugal<\/th> 160,900<\/td> 177,000<\/td> 179,000<\/td><\/tr> France<\/th> 6,500<\/td> 5,500<\/td> 5,300<\/td><\/tr> Other EU countries<\/th> 6,800<\/td> 10,400<\/td> 8,926<\/td><\/tr> EU total<\/th> 1,549,000<\/td> 2,110,000<\/td> 2,047,627<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>Tonnes of olive oil. 2023\/24: IOC, final. 2024\/25: IOC, provisional. 2025\/26: European Commission estimate, notifications 15 July 2026. \u201cOther EU countries\u201d is calculated as the remainder; source rounding is retained.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nBeyond the EU: Tunisia and T\u00fcrkiye shift the balance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n The southern and eastern Mediterranean are central to olive oil production. In the IOC balance for 2024\/25, T\u00fcrkiye provisionally reaches 505,000 tonnes and Tunisia 340,000 tonnes. For 2025\/26, the same balance estimates 290,000 tonnes for T\u00fcrkiye and 450,000 for Tunisia. Looking at one season alone can therefore distort a country\u2019s longer-term importance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Morocco, Syria and Algeria also belong in an overview of origins. For 2025\/26, the IOC estimates 160,000 tonnes for Morocco, 95,000 for Syria and 75,500 for Algeria. The selection below is not a complete world ranking. Outside the Mediterranean, olives are also grown and pressed in countries including Argentina, Chile and Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Producing country, exporting country and bottling country are different concepts. Oil can be traded internationally, blended elsewhere and bottled in a third location. A large export volume cannot simply be read as the quantity of domestically produced oil.<\/p>\n\n\n\nProducer<\/th> 2023\/24<\/th> 2024\/25<\/th> 2025\/26<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Tunisia<\/th> 220,000<\/td> 340,000<\/td> 450,000<\/td><\/tr> T\u00fcrkiye<\/th> 215,000<\/td> 505,000<\/td> 290,000<\/td><\/tr> Morocco<\/th> 106,000<\/td> 90,000<\/td> 160,000<\/td><\/tr> Syria<\/th> 122,000<\/td> 105,000<\/td> 95,000<\/td><\/tr> Algeria<\/th> 64,000<\/td> 85,000<\/td> 75,500<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>Tonnes of olive oil. All columns: IOC balance, November 2025. 2023\/24 final; 2024\/25 provisional; 2025\/26 estimated. Selected producers, not a complete world ranking.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhy a strong harvest can be followed by a weaker one<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Olive trees do not yield identical crops every year. Alternate bearing describes fluctuations between heavier and lighter fruit loads. It is not a precise two-year timetable that all trees follow simultaneously. Weather, orchard management and the burden of the previous crop influence the pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Drought and heat can affect flowering, fruit set and oil formation. Frost, pests and disease can cause further losses. Fruit numbers are only part of the calculation: oil content and extraction yield also determine how many tonnes of oil are ultimately produced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An older Spanish comparison illustrates the scale of possible changes. IOC figures show 1,491,500 tonnes in 2021\/22 and just 665,800 tonnes in 2022\/23, a fall of around 55%. Such shifts influence available supply. Retail prices also depend on stocks, demand, quality, packaging and distribution costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFrom grove to mill: harvest and extraction are part of an oil\u2019s origin story. AI-generated illustrative image.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nOrigin and flavour: useful context, not a country league table<\/h2>\n\n\n\n A country does not have a single flavour profile. Cultivar, ripeness, growing site, harvesting and mill practices can create very different oils within the same national borders. Simple rules such as \u201cItalian means mild\u201d or \u201cSpanish means powerful\u201d are not reliable shopping advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Look for more specific information instead. Which olive variety is named? Which harvest produced the oil? Is the origin traceable, and how does the supplier describe fruitiness, bitterness and pungency? A carefully designed blend can also be excellent; a single origin is not automatically superior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Production statistics reveal where large quantities of oil are made. They cannot establish the sensory quality of one bottle. Healthy fruit, prompt and careful extraction, and protection from heat and light all matter to the oil you actually taste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reading a label: oil origin is not the bottler\u2019s address<\/h2>\n\n\n\n EU rules require an origin indication for extra virgin and virgin olive oils. Where the olives are harvested and the oil extracted in the same country, that country can be stated as the origin. Where harvesting and extraction take place in different countries, the label must make that distinction clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blends from several origins can carry statements identifying oils from the European Union, oils not from the European Union, or a combination of both. These are origin categories, not automatic warnings of poor oil. They do, however, provide less geographical precision than a clearly identified single origin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An Italian address, a flag or \u201cbottled in Italy\u201d does not by itself prove that the olives grew in Italy. Read the actual origin statement. Protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications have their own specifications; they are not equivalent to a decorative landscape on a label.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How to use origin information when buying olive oil<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Start with the grade and origin declaration, then check harvest information, pack size and storage instructions. Compare price per litre within comparable quality categories rather than bottle price alone. Dark glass or suitable metal containers offer better light protection than clear, unprotected packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are looking for a particular taste, a traceable cultivar description and a knowledgeable supplier are often more useful than country rankings. Buying a small amount to try avoids leaving a large bottle open for months. At home, keep it tightly closed in a dark place away from the cooker and other heat sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The practical conclusion is straightforward: origin improves transparency when it is specific and verifiable. It cannot replace quality assessment or your own preferences. Changing harvest volumes underline how varied and weather-dependent olive oil remains, and why the season and the label deserve a closer look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Common questions about olive oil origin<\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhich country produces the most olive oil?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Spain leads the balances examined here. The European Commission estimates 1,298,503 tonnes for 2025\/26. This is not a final result and says nothing about the quality of individual Spanish oils.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How much olive oil does Italy produce?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n The IOC balance provisionally gives 248,000 tonnes for 2024\/25. The newer Commission report, based on notifications dated 15 July 2026, estimates 324,898 tonnes for 2025\/26. Always compare both the season and the status of the data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What share of world olive oil production comes from the EU?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n The matching IOC figures imply around 59% for 2024\/25 and just under 60% in its 2025\/26 estimates. A newer regional EU report should not be silently combined with an older global figure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Which major producers are outside the EU?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n They include Tunisia, T\u00fcrkiye, Morocco, Syria and Algeria. The IOC balance estimates 450,000 tonnes for Tunisia and 290,000 tonnes for T\u00fcrkiye in 2025\/26, for example. These estimates remain subject to revision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why do harvest volumes vary so much?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Alternate bearing, drought, heat, frost, plant health and orchard management affect fruit set and oil yield. One harvest therefore provides only a limited picture of a country\u2019s long-term role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is oil bottled in Italy always Italian in origin?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n No. A bottler\u2019s address does not automatically identify the oil\u2019s origin. For extra virgin and virgin olive oils, read the required origin declaration; it may identify a blend from several countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When does the statistical olive oil crop year begin and end?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n The IOC olive oil campaign runs from 1 October to 30 September of the following year. This statistical convention does not define the duration of a tree adoption or an individual delivery date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources and how to interpret the data<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Sources checked on 20 October 2026. The IOC world balance and Commission EU report have different reporting dates. Figures are marked as final, provisional or estimated accordingly; later reports may differ. The statistical campaign is separate from our adoption season. The newly generated illustrative images do not depict a specific producer\u2019s farm or mill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
International Olive Council: Statistics \/ market balances<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nIOC: 122nd session, olive oil balances, November 2025<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nIOC: December 2025 statistics, published 12 January 2026<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nEuropean Commission: monthly EU olive oil production 2025\/26, notifications 15 July 2026<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nEU 2022\/2104<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nHow cultivation and milling shape olive oil quality<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nRecognising good olive oil when shopping<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n