South Africa vs United Arab Emirates: Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters?

South Africa
5.88 million tonnes
in 2023
United Arab Emirates
5.33 million tonnes
in 2023
South Africa rank
33rd
United Arab Emirates rank
34th

Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? over time

  • South Africa
  • United Arab Emirates
02.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M196119922023

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 5.88 million tonnes against 5.33 million tonnes in United Arab Emirates, a difference of 550,000 tonnes.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times United Arab Emirates's.

The two have swapped places 14 times across 63 shared years of data; in 1961 it was South Africa ahead.

South Africa ranks 33rd and United Arab Emirates ranks 34th of 192 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 6 and United Arab Emirates in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade South Africa United Arab Emirates Difference Ahead
1960s 364,889 tonnes 30,000 tonnes 334,889 tonnes South Africa
1970s 226,500 tonnes 156,500 tonnes 70,000 tonnes South Africa
1980s 993,000 tonnes 491,000 tonnes 502,000 tonnes South Africa
1990s 2.10 million tonnes 1.07 million tonnes 1.03 million tonnes South Africa
2000s 2.53 million tonnes 2.47 million tonnes 62,100 tonnes South Africa
2010s 5.40 million tonnes 5.41 million tonnes 17,200 tonnes United Arab Emirates
2020s 5.51 million tonnes 4.89 million tonnes 623,250 tonnes South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters?, South Africa or United Arab Emirates?
South Africa, at 5.88 million tonnes against 5.33 million tonnes in United Arab Emirates as of 2023.
What is the difference in cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? between South Africa and United Arab Emirates?
550,000 tonnes, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United Arab Emirates?
63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
How do South Africa and United Arab Emirates rank globally for cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters??
South Africa ranks 33rd and United Arab Emirates ranks 34th 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.

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South Africa vs United Arab Emirates: Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters?. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/compare/cereals-imports-vs-exports/south-africa/united-arab-emirates/

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About this data

Indicator
Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters?
Unit
tonnes
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
192 places, 10,214 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

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.