Barley yields in Kenya
Kenya: Barley yields was 3.46 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
3.46 tonnes per hectare
Change on year
up 40.0%
World rank
43rd
of 105 countries
All-time high
4.43 tonnes per hectare
in 2019
All-time low
0.6062 tonnes per hectare
in 1978
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Barley yields in Kenya, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025); Broadberry et al. (2015); Brassley (2000) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per hectare.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 3.46 tonnes per hectare for barley yields in 2024.
The figure is up 40.0% on the previous year and up 14.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, barley yields in Kenya peaked at 4.43 tonnes per hectare in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.6062 tonnes per hectare, in 1978.
Kenya ranks 43rd 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 yields in Kenya, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.07 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 0.7142 tonnes per hectare | -33.1% |
| 1963 | 1.61 tonnes per hectare | +124.7% |
| 1964 | 1.77 tonnes per hectare | +10.5% |
| 1965 | 1.41 tonnes per hectare | -20.6% |
| 1966 | 1.61 tonnes per hectare | +14.6% |
| 1967 | 0.6669 tonnes per hectare | -58.7% |
| 1968 | 1.12 tonnes per hectare | +67.7% |
| 1969 | 1.19 tonnes per hectare | +6.4% |
| 1970 | 1.48 tonnes per hectare | +24.4% |
| 1971 | 0.92 tonnes per hectare | -37.8% |
| 1972 | 1.18 tonnes per hectare | +28.7% |
| 1973 | 1.21 tonnes per hectare | +2.2% |
| 1974 | 1.19 tonnes per hectare | -1.4% |
| 1975 | 1.16 tonnes per hectare | -3.0% |
| 1976 | 1.17 tonnes per hectare | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 0.8398 tonnes per hectare | -28.2% |
| 1978 | 0.6062 tonnes per hectare | -27.8% |
| 1979 | 0.9375 tonnes per hectare | +54.7% |
| 1980 | 1.5 tonnes per hectare | +60.0% |
| 1981 | 2.08 tonnes per hectare | +38.8% |
| 1982 | 2.65 tonnes per hectare | +27.5% |
| 1983 | 2.56 tonnes per hectare | -3.4% |
| 1984 | 1.78 tonnes per hectare | -30.5% |
| 1985 | 1.78 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 1.67 tonnes per hectare | -6.5% |
| 1987 | 1.43 tonnes per hectare | -14.3% |
| 1988 | 1.39 tonnes per hectare | -2.8% |
| 1989 | 2.09 tonnes per hectare | +50.7% |
| 1990 | 1.82 tonnes per hectare | -13.2% |
| 1991 | 1.89 tonnes per hectare | +4.1% |
| 1992 | 1.96 tonnes per hectare | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 1.96 tonnes per hectare | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 2.42 tonnes per hectare | +23.7% |
| 1995 | 2.18 tonnes per hectare | -9.9% |
| 1996 | 1.71 tonnes per hectare | -21.9% |
| 1997 | 1.6 tonnes per hectare | -6.4% |
| 1998 | 1.85 tonnes per hectare | +15.6% |
| 1999 | 2.22 tonnes per hectare | +20.5% |
| 2000 | 2.22 tonnes per hectare | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 3.89 tonnes per hectare | +74.9% |
| 2002 | 3.13 tonnes per hectare | -19.5% |
| 2003 | 2.98 tonnes per hectare | -4.6% |
| 2004 | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | -8.4% |
| 2005 | 3.22 tonnes per hectare | +18.0% |
| 2006 | 3.38 tonnes per hectare | +4.8% |
| 2007 | 3 tonnes per hectare | -11.2% |
| 2008 | 3.04 tonnes per hectare | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 3.08 tonnes per hectare | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 2.56 tonnes per hectare | -16.9% |
| 2011 | 3.46 tonnes per hectare | +35.5% |
| 2012 | 4.39 tonnes per hectare | +26.9% |
| 2013 | 3.35 tonnes per hectare | -23.8% |
| 2014 | 3.04 tonnes per hectare | -9.3% |
| 2015 | 3.68 tonnes per hectare | +21.1% |
| 2016 | 3.59 tonnes per hectare | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 3.67 tonnes per hectare | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 3.91 tonnes per hectare | +6.7% |
| 2019 | 4.43 tonnes per hectare | +13.3% |
| 2020 | 3.16 tonnes per hectare | -28.7% |
| 2021 | 2.49 tonnes per hectare | -21.4% |
| 2022 | 2.67 tonnes per hectare | +7.5% |
| 2023 | 2.47 tonnes per hectare | -7.5% |
| 2024 | 3.46 tonnes per hectare | +40.0% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 3.46 tonnes per hectare is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.86 tonnes per hectare, 1.9× the median. (20 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 3.46 tonnes per hectare is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.35 tonnes per hectare, 1.5× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.24 tonnes per hectare | 0.6669 tonnes per hectare | 1.77 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.07 tonnes per hectare | 0.6062 tonnes per hectare | 1.48 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.89 tonnes per hectare | 1.39 tonnes per hectare | 2.65 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.96 tonnes per hectare | 1.6 tonnes per hectare | 2.42 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.07 tonnes per hectare | 2.22 tonnes per hectare | 3.89 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.61 tonnes per hectare | 2.56 tonnes per hectare | 4.43 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.85 tonnes per hectare | 2.47 tonnes per hectare | 3.46 tonnes per hectare | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More agriculture & rural data for Kenya
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 16.52 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2316 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 547.24 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6779 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 12.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is barley yields in Kenya?
- Barley yields in Kenya was 3.46 tonnes per hectare in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025); Broadberry et al. (2015); Brassley (2000) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest barley yields recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 4.43 tonnes per hectare in 2019.
- What is the lowest barley yields recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6062 tonnes per hectare in 1978.
- How does Kenya rank for barley yields?
- Kenya ranks 43rd out of 105 countries with data for 2024.
- Is barley yields rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025); Broadberry et al. (2015); Brassley (2000) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Barley yields. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Yields are measured in tonnes per hectare.