Nigeria vs South Africa: Agricultural area over the long-term
Nigeria
71.09 million hectares
in 2025
South Africa
96.34 million hectares
in 2025
Nigeria rank
14th
South Africa rank
13th
Agricultural area over the long-term over time
- Nigeria
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 96.34 million hectares against 71.09 million hectares in Nigeria, a difference of 25.25 million hectares.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.4 times Nigeria's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Nigeria ahead.
Nigeria ranks 14th and South Africa ranks 13th of 202 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, Nigeria averaged higher in 28 and South Africa in 12.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Nigeria | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 13.74 million hectares | 99,811 hectares | 13.64 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1100s | 14.52 million hectares | 149,716 hectares | 14.37 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1200s | 15.28 million hectares | 218,336 hectares | 15.06 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1300s | 16.96 million hectares | 311,908 hectares | 16.65 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1400s | 18.59 million hectares | 438,621 hectares | 18.15 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1500s | 20.17 million hectares | 609,196 hectares | 19.56 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1600s | 25.33 million hectares | 888,411 hectares | 24.45 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1700s | 32.14 million hectares | 1.59 million hectares | 30.56 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1710s | 31.38 million hectares | 1.95 million hectares | 29.43 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1720s | 30.63 million hectares | 2.39 million hectares | 28.25 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1730s | 29.90 million hectares | 2.92 million hectares | 26.98 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1740s | 29.19 million hectares | 3.58 million hectares | 25.61 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1750s | 28.49 million hectares | 4.38 million hectares | 24.11 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1760s | 27.81 million hectares | 4.29 million hectares | 23.52 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1770s | 27.14 million hectares | 4.20 million hectares | 22.94 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1780s | 26.49 million hectares | 4.11 million hectares | 22.38 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1790s | 25.86 million hectares | 4.02 million hectares | 21.84 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1800s | 25.23 million hectares | 3.93 million hectares | 21.31 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1810s | 24.62 million hectares | 3.84 million hectares | 20.79 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1820s | 24.03 million hectares | 3.74 million hectares | 20.28 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1830s | 23.44 million hectares | 3.65 million hectares | 19.79 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1840s | 22.87 million hectares | 3.56 million hectares | 19.31 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1850s | 22.32 million hectares | 4.19 million hectares | 18.12 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1860s | 22.91 million hectares | 5.17 million hectares | 17.74 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1870s | 23.63 million hectares | 6.85 million hectares | 16.77 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1880s | 24.62 million hectares | 13.57 million hectares | 11.06 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1890s | 25.93 million hectares | 16.65 million hectares | 9.27 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1900s | 27.10 million hectares | 23.23 million hectares | 3.87 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 1910s | 29.34 million hectares | 31.16 million hectares | 1.82 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1920s | 31.78 million hectares | 38.56 million hectares | 6.77 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1930s | 36.82 million hectares | 47.99 million hectares | 11.18 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1940s | 42.23 million hectares | 58.22 million hectares | 15.98 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1950s | 51.31 million hectares | 86.26 million hectares | 34.95 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1960s | 54.50 million hectares | 97.73 million hectares | 43.23 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1970s | 55.74 million hectares | 94.56 million hectares | 38.82 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1980s | 57.30 million hectares | 94.35 million hectares | 37.05 million hectares | South Africa |
| 1990s | 62.49 million hectares | 97.17 million hectares | 34.68 million hectares | South Africa |
| 2000s | 66.04 million hectares | 97.51 million hectares | 31.46 million hectares | South Africa |
| 2010s | 67.56 million hectares | 96.40 million hectares | 28.84 million hectares | South Africa |
| 2020s | 70.07 million hectares | 96.34 million hectares | 26.27 million hectares | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher agricultural area over the long-term, Nigeria or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 96.34 million hectares against 71.09 million hectares in Nigeria as of 2025.
- What is the difference in agricultural area over the long-term between Nigeria and South Africa?
- 25.25 million hectares, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and South Africa?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do Nigeria and South Africa rank globally for agricultural area over the long-term?
- Nigeria ranks 14th and South Africa ranks 13th of 202 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- HYDE (2025) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Agricultural area over the long-term. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total agricultural area for each separate country over time.