Soybean is the single largest GM crop in the world, covering 92.1 million hectares in 2015. That’s more than the next two GM crops, maize and cotton, combined. In terms of traits, herbicide tolerance dominates: 84% of all GM crops carry genes that let them survive weedkillers.
Soybean Leads by a Wide Margin
Of the roughly 180 million hectares planted with GM crops globally in 2015, soybean alone accounted for about half. Maize came second at 53.6 million hectares, followed by cotton at 24 million hectares and oilseed rape (canola) at 8.5 million hectares. Those four crops make up nearly all commercial GM acreage worldwide.
Beyond those major four, the list of commercially grown GM crops is surprisingly short: potato, squash, alfalfa, eggplant, sugar beet, and papaya. These are grown on a tiny fraction of total GM land and are mostly limited to specific countries. GM eggplant, for instance, is only grown in Bangladesh. GM papaya is grown in the United States and China. The story of GM agriculture is really the story of soybean, maize, cotton, and canola.
Herbicide Tolerance Is the Dominant Trait
When people talk about what GM crops are engineered to do, one trait towers over the rest. In 2013, about 57% of global GM crop area (99.4 million hectares) was planted with varieties engineered solely for herbicide tolerance, meaning the plants survive applications of weedkiller that would destroy everything else in the field. Another 27% carried both herbicide tolerance and insect resistance “stacked” together. That means 84% of all GM crops on Earth carried herbicide-tolerance genes.
Insect resistance, the other major GM trait, works by producing a protein toxic to certain pests. But it rarely appears on its own. Most insect-resistant varieties also include herbicide tolerance, which is why the stacked category is so large. Cotton is one crop where insect resistance plays an especially prominent role. In the United States, 91% of cotton acres are planted with insect-resistant seeds, and about 87% use stacked seeds carrying both traits.
Where GM Crops Are Concentrated
GM crop production is heavily concentrated in the Americas. The United States leads with 70.9 million hectares, followed by Brazil at 44.2 million hectares and Argentina at 24.5 million hectares. India (11.6 million hectares, almost entirely cotton) and Canada (11 million hectares) round out the top five. Together, these five countries account for the vast majority of global GM acreage. In total, 28 countries grew GM crops commercially in 2015, covering over 10% of the world’s arable land.
Soybean dominates in the Americas, where enormous acreages in the U.S., Brazil, and Argentina are planted with herbicide-tolerant varieties. India’s GM story is almost entirely about cotton. Canada grows significant amounts of GM canola alongside corn and soybean.
Most GM Crops Feed Animals, Not People Directly
Given that soybean and maize dominate GM agriculture, it’s worth knowing where those crops actually end up. Most GM soybean is used for animal feed (predominantly poultry and livestock) and for making soybean oil. Most GM corn similarly goes to feeding cattle, dairy cows, and chickens, with a smaller share entering processed foods, drinks, and ethanol production.
GM cottonseed meal and hulls also go into animal feed. GM alfalfa, grown primarily in the United States, feeds cattle, especially dairy cows. The crops that reach consumers more directly are the smaller ones: GM sugar beets are used to make granulated sugar, and GM canola is processed into cooking oil and margarine. So while GM ingredients appear in many packaged foods, the bulk of GM crop tonnage passes through livestock before it reaches your plate as meat, dairy, or eggs.
U.S. Adoption Rates Are Near Saturation
In the United States, GM adoption for major row crops has essentially plateaued at very high levels. Herbicide-tolerant seeds account for 93% of upland cotton acres in 2025. Corn, cotton, and soybeans make up most U.S. GM acreage, with herbicide-tolerant varieties also widely used in alfalfa, canola, and sugar beet production. For these crops, non-GM versions have become the exception rather than the rule in American agriculture.