Barley — Area harvested in South Africa

South Africa: Barley — Area harvested was 100,700 ha in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
100,700 ha
Change on year
down 6.4%
World rank
48th
of 105 countries
All-time high
141,690 ha
in 2020
All-time low
44,000 ha
in 1970
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Barley — Area harvested in South Africa, 1961–2024

40.0k60.0k80.0k100.0k120.0k140.0k196119922024

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 100,700 ha for barley — area harvested in 2024.

That represents a change of down 6.4% on the previous year and up 18.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, barley — area harvested in South Africa peaked at 141,690 ha in 2020 and was at its lowest, 44,000 ha, in 1970.

South Africa ranks 48th of 105 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.

Barley — Area harvested in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Barley — Area harvested in South Africa, 1961 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1961 58,000 ha
1962 62,000 ha +6.9%
1963 70,000 ha +12.9%
1964 59,000 ha -15.7%
1965 70,000 ha +18.6%
1966 62,000 ha -11.4%
1967 78,000 ha +25.8%
1968 64,000 ha -17.9%
1969 58,000 ha -9.4%
1970 44,000 ha -24.1%
1971 46,000 ha +4.5%
1972 51,000 ha +10.9%
1973 61,000 ha +19.6%
1974 67,000 ha +9.8%
1975 74,000 ha +10.4%
1976 88,000 ha +18.9%
1977 90,000 ha +2.3%
1978 98,000 ha +8.9%
1979 107,000 ha +9.2%
1980 68,000 ha -36.4%
1981 69,000 ha +1.5%
1982 64,000 ha -7.2%
1983 79,000 ha +23.4%
1984 87,000 ha +10.1%
1985 101,000 ha +16.1%
1986 91,000 ha -9.9%
1987 100,000 ha +9.9%
1988 80,000 ha -20.0%
1989 97,000 ha +21.2%
1990 110,000 ha +13.4%
1991 135,000 ha +22.7%
1992 134,000 ha -0.7%
1993 116,000 ha -13.4%
1994 120,000 ha +3.4%
1995 125,000 ha +4.2%
1996 127,000 ha +1.6%
1997 132,000 ha +3.9%
1998 112,000 ha -15.2%
1999 101,700 ha -9.2%
2000 77,690 ha -23.6%
2001 73,160 ha -5.8%
2002 72,070 ha -1.5%
2003 84,220 ha +16.9%
2004 83,200 ha -1.2%
2005 90,000 ha +8.2%
2006 89,780 ha -0.2%
2007 73,360 ha -18.3%
2008 68,245 ha -7.0%
2009 74,760 ha +9.5%
2010 82,670 ha +10.6%
2011 80,150 ha -3.0%
2012 84,940 ha +6.0%
2013 81,320 ha -4.3%
2014 85,125 ha +4.7%
2015 93,730 ha +10.1%
2016 88,695 ha -5.4%
2017 91,380 ha +3.0%
2018 119,000 ha +30.2%
2019 131,960 ha +10.9%
2020 141,690 ha +7.4%
2021 94,730 ha -33.1%
2022 101,000 ha +6.6%
2023 107,600 ha +6.5%
2024 100,700 ha -6.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 64,556 ha 58,000 ha 78,000 ha 9
1970s 72,600 ha 44,000 ha 107,000 ha 10
1980s 83,600 ha 64,000 ha 101,000 ha 10
1990s 121,270 ha 101,700 ha 135,000 ha 10
2000s 78,648 ha 68,245 ha 90,000 ha 10
2010s 93,897 ha 80,150 ha 131,960 ha 10
2020s 109,144 ha 94,730 ha 141,690 ha 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 45 Brazil 117,088 ha compare
  2. 46 Greece 116,120 ha compare
  3. 47 Serbia and Montenegro 105,034 ha compare
  4. 49 Uzbekistan 98,985 ha compare
  5. 50 Serbia 98,213 ha compare
  6. 51 Estonia 95,060 ha compare

See the full ranking of 142 places →

More agriculture & rural data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is barley — area harvested in South Africa?
Barley — area harvested in South Africa was 100,700 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest barley — area harvested recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 141,690 ha in 2020.
What is the lowest barley — area harvested recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 44,000 ha in 1970.
How does South Africa rank for barley — area harvested?
South Africa ranks 48th out of 105 countries with data for 2024.
Is barley — area harvested rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Barley — Area harvested. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Barley — Area harvested in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/barley-area-harvested/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Barley — Area harvested
Unit
ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
142 places, 7,699 data points, 1961–2024
Last refreshed

Crop and livestock statistics are recorded for 278 products, covering the following categories: 1) CROPS PRIMARY: Cereals, Citrus Fruit, Fibre Crops, Fruit, Oil Crops, Oil Crops and Cakes in Oil Equivalent, Pulses, Roots and Tubers, Sugar Crops, Treenuts and Vegetables. Data are expressed in terms of area harvested, production quantity and yield. Cereals: Area and production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed or silage or used for grazing are therefore excluded. 2) CROPS PROCESSED: Beer of barley; Cotton lint; Cottonseed; Margarine, short; Molasses; Oil, coconut (copra); Oil, cottonseed; Oil, groundnut; Oil, linseed; Oil, maize; Oil, olive, virgin; Oil, palm; Oil, palm kernel; Oil, rapeseed; Oil, safflower; Oil, sesame; Oil, soybean; Oil, sunflower; Palm kernels; Sugar Raw Centrifugal; Wine. 3) LIVE ANIMALS: Animals live n.e.s.; Asses; Beehives; Buffaloes; Camelids, other; Camels; Cattle; Chickens; Ducks; Geese and guinea fowls; Goats; Horses; Mules; Pigeons, other birds; Pigs; Rabbits and hares; Rodents, other; Sheep; Turkeys. 4) LIVESTOCK PRIMARY: Beeswax; Eggs (various types); Hides buffalo, fresh; Hides, cattle, fresh; Honey, natural; Meat (ass, bird nes, buffalo, camel, cattle, chicken, duck, game, goat, goose and guinea fowl, horse, mule, Meat nes, meat other camelids, Meat other rodents, pig, rabbit, sheep, turkey); Milk (buffalo, camel, cow, goat, sheep); Offals, nes; Silk-worm cocoons, reelable; Skins (goat, sheep); Snails, not sea; Wool, greasy. 5) LIVESTOCK PROCESSED: Butter (of milk from sheep, goat, buffalo, cow); Cheese (of milk from goat, buffalo, sheep, cow milk); Cheese of skimmed cow milk; Cream fresh; Ghee (cow and buffalo milk); Lard; Milk (dry buttermilk, skimmed condensed, skimmed cow, skimmed dried, skimmed evaporated, whole condensed, whole dried, whole evaporated); Silk raw; Tallow; Whey (condensed and dry); Yoghurt.