Nigeria vs South Africa: Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters?
Nigeria
5.08 million tonnes
in 2023
South Africa
5.88 million tonnes
in 2023
Nigeria rank
36th
South Africa rank
33rd
Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? over time
- Nigeria
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 5.88 million tonnes against 5.08 million tonnes in Nigeria, a difference of 807,000 tonnes.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.2 times Nigeria's.
The two have swapped places 16 times across 63 shared years of data; in 1961 it was South Africa ahead.
Nigeria ranks 36th and South Africa ranks 33rd of 192 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Nigeria averaged higher in 5 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Nigeria | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 186,222 tonnes | 364,889 tonnes | 178,667 tonnes | South Africa |
| 1970s | 916,100 tonnes | 226,500 tonnes | 689,600 tonnes | Nigeria |
| 1980s | 1.58 million tonnes | 993,000 tonnes | 588,600 tonnes | Nigeria |
| 1990s | 1.42 million tonnes | 2.10 million tonnes | 681,700 tonnes | South Africa |
| 2000s | 4.26 million tonnes | 2.53 million tonnes | 1.73 million tonnes | Nigeria |
| 2010s | 6.44 million tonnes | 5.40 million tonnes | 1.05 million tonnes | Nigeria |
| 2020s | 5.97 million tonnes | 5.51 million tonnes | 461,750 tonnes | Nigeria |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters?, Nigeria or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 5.88 million tonnes against 5.08 million tonnes in Nigeria as of 2023.
- What is the difference in cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? between Nigeria and South Africa?
- 807,000 tonnes, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and South Africa?
- 63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
- How do Nigeria and South Africa rank globally for cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters??
- Nigeria ranks 36th and South Africa ranks 33rd of 192 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters?. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Imports and exports are measured as the net sum of all cereal crop varieties. Countries which lie above the grey line are net importers of cereals; those below the line are net exporters.