map placeholder
Click on a country for details.

Countries that Ban GMOs 2024

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are plants, animals, or microorganisms whose genetic makeup is artificially modified or altered. Individual genes can be introduced from one organism to another across species. GMOs have several purposes including resistance to certain environmental conditions, pests, and diseases or resistance to chemicals such as herbicides. Some crops are genetically modified to increase their value. Despite biotech industry promises, no evidence shows any GMOs currently on the market showing increased yield, enhanced nutrition, drought tolerance, or any other consumer benefit. The safety of GMOs is generally unknown. There is a lack of credible independent long-term feeding studies. An increasing number of people around the world are choosing to eat organic and non-GMO products.

Only 64 countries around the world require genetically modified foods to be labeled. These countries include all of the European Union (EU) members, Australia, and Japan, among others. GMOs are not currently labeled in the United States or Canada; however, some products will start to be labeled in the United States thanks to the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS). The vast majority of crops in North America are genetically modified. Most commonly, packaged foods made from sugar, corn, soy, and canola are genetically modified. Livestock, agriculture, and aquaculture products are also considered to be high-risk for GMOs. Because over 80% of GMO crops grown around the world have been engineered for herbicide tolerance, resulting in a significant increase in the use of toxic herbicides, increasing its negative impact on the environment and human health. Several countries around the world have banned the use of GMOs.

In the European Union the following countries have banned GMOS: France, Germany, Austria, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Poland, Denmark, Malta, Slovenia, Italy, and Croatia. In Africa, Algeria and Madagascar have banned GMOs, and in Asia, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Bhutan, and Saudi Arabia. Finally, in the Americas, Belize, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela have all banned GMOs. The United States has no official legislation banning GMOs.

- GMO bans are a volatile field. New bans may be instated and existing bans lifted with minimal notice.
- Regional and local GMO bans may exist even in countries with no national-level bans.
- For example, as of 2023 the United States had no national bans on GMO products. However, cultivation of GMO crops was banned in a handful of cities or counties in the states California, Colorado, Maine, Oregon, and Washington.

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Country
Cultivation Banned
Imports Banned
Additional Details
AlgeriaProhibitedProhibited
AustraliaAllowedAllowed
Cultivation prohibited in Tasmania and Kangaroo island. Imports allowed
AustriaProhibitedAllowed
AzerbaijanProhibitedAllowed
BelizeProhibitedAllowed
BhutanProhibitedProhibited
Bosnia and HerzegovinaProhibitedAllowed
BulgariaProhibitedAllowed
CroatiaProhibitedAllowed
CyprusProhibitedAllowed
DenmarkProhibitedAllowed
EcuadorProhibitedAllowed
FranceProhibitedAllowed
GermanyProhibitedAllowed
GreeceProhibitedAllowed
HungaryProhibitedAllowed
IndiaProhibitedProhibited
Bt cotton allowed, all others prohibited
ItalyProhibitedAllowed
KenyaProhibitedProhibited
Cultivation of white maize approved, all others prohibited. Import of white maize allowed.
KyrgyzstanProhibitedProhibited
LatviaProhibitedAllowed
LithuaniaProhibitedAllowed
LuxembourgProhibitedAllowed
MadagascarProhibitedProhibited
MaltaProhibitedAllowed
MoldovaProhibitedAllowed
NetherlandsProhibitedAllowed
NorwayProhibitedAllowed
PeruProhibitedProhibited
Cultivation banned (though increasingly ignored). Imports of soy and corn allowed.
PolandProhibitedAllowed
RussiaProhibitedProhibited
Saudi ArabiaProhibitedAllowed
SerbiaProhibitedAllowed
SloveniaProhibitedAllowed
SwitzerlandProhibitedAllowed
TurkeyProhibitedAllowed
UkraineProhibitedAllowed
Cultivation banned (though law is widely ignored).
United KingdomProhibitedAllowed
VenezuelaProhibitedProhibited
showing: 39 rows

How many countries ban GMOs?

38 countries have banned the cultivation of GMOs. 9 countries have also banned the import of GMOs.

Frequently Asked Questions