Cereal cropland in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Cereal cropland was 4.2% in 2011. ▲ Rising
Cereal cropland in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1961–2011
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, Production Yearbook and data files. Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
In 2011, cereal cropland in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 4.2%. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.9% on the previous year and up 26.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal cropland in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 4.2% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 1961.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Cereal cropland in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.0% | — |
| 1962 | 2.1% | +2.3% |
| 1963 | 2.1% | +2.0% |
| 1964 | 2.1% | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 2.2% | +3.4% |
| 1966 | 2.1% | -3.4% |
| 1967 | 2.2% | +6.8% |
| 1968 | 2.2% | -2.1% |
| 1969 | 2.4% | +10.7% |
| 1970 | 2.3% | -3.4% |
| 1971 | 2.4% | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 2.2% | -5.5% |
| 1973 | 2.3% | +3.6% |
| 1974 | 2.3% | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 2.2% | -4.5% |
| 1976 | 2.4% | +6.2% |
| 1977 | 2.3% | -4.3% |
| 1978 | 2.2% | -2.0% |
| 1979 | 2.1% | -3.2% |
| 1980 | 2.2% | +4.4% |
| 1981 | 2.2% | -2.3% |
| 1982 | 2.2% | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 2.2% | +2.9% |
| 1984 | 2.3% | +4.4% |
| 1985 | 2.6% | +10.0% |
| 1986 | 2.8% | +7.4% |
| 1987 | 2.7% | -2.6% |
| 1988 | 2.9% | +9.4% |
| 1989 | 2.9% | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 2.8% | -2.7% |
| 1991 | 3.0% | +6.3% |
| 1992 | 3.1% | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 3.1% | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 3.4% | +8.3% |
| 1995 | 3.3% | -3.3% |
| 1996 | 3.4% | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 3.4% | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 3.4% | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 3.3% | -3.2% |
| 2000 | 3.3% | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 3.3% | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 3.4% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 3.7% | +9.8% |
| 2004 | 3.5% | -5.1% |
| 2005 | 4.0% | +12.3% |
| 2006 | 3.8% | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 3.8% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 4.0% | +6.3% |
| 2009 | 3.9% | -4.7% |
| 2010 | 4.0% | +4.6% |
| 2011 | 4.2% | +4.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.2% | 2.0% | 2.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.5% | 2.2% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.2% | 2.8% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.7% | 3.3% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.1% | 4.0% | 4.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5534 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1791 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 299.6 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.96 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 17.9% (2025)
- Rural population 731.42 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereal cropland in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Cereal cropland in Sub-Saharan Africa was 4.2% in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, Production Yearbook and data files.
- What is the highest cereal cropland recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 4.2% in 2011.
- What is the lowest cereal cropland recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 1961.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for cereal cropland?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd out of 6 groups with data for 2011.
- Is cereal cropland rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization, Production Yearbook and data files, published as part of Cereal cropland (% of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Land under cereal production refers to harvested area, although some countries report only sown or cultivated area. Cereals include wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains. 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 and those used for grazing are excluded.