Bees not only provide honey but are also irreplaceable as pollinators of many plants in agriculture, fruit growing and horticulture. According to FAO estimates, there were 22.5 million bee colonies in Europe in 1990. By the turn of the millennium, their number had fallen. Although populations are recovering - in 2021 there were approximately 25.1 million bee colonies. Beekeeping and apiculture have also increased significantly worldwide in recent decades. The FAO estimated the number of bee colonies worldwide to be around 101.6 million in 2021. Compared to 1990, this corresponded to an increase of 47%. Most bee colonies in 2021 were in Asia (45.3 million).
| 1990 | 2021 | 1990 to 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| in millions (rounded) | % | ||
| Europe | 22,5 | 25,1 | 11,6 |
| Western Europe | 3,5 | 3,4 | -1,2 |
| Northern Europe | 0,1 | 0,6 | 337,1 |
| Eastern Europe | 14,2 | 10,7 | -24,9 |
| Southern Europe | 4,6 | 10,3 | 124,1 |
| America | 9,7 | 11,6 | 19,8 |
| Northern America | 3,7 | 3,4 | -8,5 |
| Central America | 2,6 | 2,6 | -1,2 |
| Caribbean | 0,3 | 0,4 | 21,9 |
| South America | 3,0 | 5,2 | 72,7 |
| Africa | 13,2 | 18,2 | 38,4 |
| Northern Africa | 2,5 | 2,4 | -6,0 |
| Middle Africa | 2,6 | 3,3 | 26,5 |
| Eastern Africa | 8,0 | 12,1 | 52,2 |
| Western Africa | 0,1 | 0,4 | 391,5 |
| Southern Africa | 0,1 | 0,1 | 38,1 |
| Asia | 23,1 | 45,3 | 95,7 |
| Central Asia | 0,5 (1992) | 1,0 | 107,2 |
| Eastern Asia | 8,3 | 11,8 | 42,5 |
| Southern Asia | 11,0 | 20,8 | 88,3 |
| South-eastern Asia | 0,1 | 0,4 | 207,2 |
| Western Asia | 3,7 | 11,3 | 204,4 |
| Oceania | 0,7 | 1,4 | 89,8 |
| Australia and New Zealand | 0,7 | 1,4 | 88,8 |
| Melanesia | 0,0 | 0,0 | 601,6 |
| Polynesia | 0,0 | 0,0 | 6,3 |
| World total | 69,2 | 101,6 | 46,8 |
Source: Estimates FAO (Crops and livestock products/ Live animals)
Honey production
Around 1.8 million tonnes of honey were produced worldwide in 2021. The largest producer was China with an annual production of 486,000 tonnes. It was followed by Turkey (96,300 tonnes) and Iran (77,200 tonnes) according to the FAO (Crops and livestock products/ Livestock Primary).
02.03.2023