Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in Zambia
Zambia: Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel was 244,000 tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in Zambia, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in Zambia is 244,000 tonnes, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 43.5% on the previous year and up 100.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in Zambia peaked at 360,000 tonnes in 1978 and was at its lowest, 0 tonnes, in 1961.
That places Zambia 52nd out of 181 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in Zambia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1963 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1964 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1965 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1966 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1967 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1968 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1969 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1970 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1971 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1972 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1973 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1974 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1975 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1976 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1977 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1978 | 360,000 tonnes | — |
| 1979 | 0 tonnes | -100.0% |
| 1980 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1981 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1982 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1983 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1984 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1985 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1986 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1987 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1988 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1989 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1990 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1992 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1993 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1994 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1995 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1996 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1997 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1998 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1999 | 3,000 tonnes | — |
| 2000 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6,000 tonnes | +100.0% |
| 2003 | 2,000 tonnes | -66.7% |
| 2004 | 2,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 2,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 2,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 3,000 tonnes | +50.0% |
| 2008 | 4,000 tonnes | +33.3% |
| 2009 | 7,000 tonnes | +75.0% |
| 2010 | 108,000 tonnes | +1442.9% |
| 2011 | 109,000 tonnes | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 116,000 tonnes | +6.4% |
| 2013 | 122,000 tonnes | +5.2% |
| 2014 | 163,000 tonnes | +33.6% |
| 2015 | 172,000 tonnes | +5.5% |
| 2016 | 158,000 tonnes | -8.1% |
| 2017 | 181,000 tonnes | +14.6% |
| 2018 | 108,000 tonnes | -40.3% |
| 2019 | 169,000 tonnes | +56.5% |
| 2020 | 334,000 tonnes | +97.6% |
| 2021 | 164,000 tonnes | -50.9% |
| 2022 | 170,000 tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2023 | 244,000 tonnes | +43.5% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 244,000 tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9,000 tonnes, 27.1× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 244,000 tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2,000 tonnes, 122.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in Zambia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | +1442.9% | 7,000 tonnes | 108,000 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 36,000 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 360,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 300 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 3,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 3,400 tonnes | 2,000 tonnes | 7,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 140,600 tonnes | 108,000 tonnes | 181,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 228,000 tonnes | 164,000 tonnes | 334,000 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More agriculture & rural data for Zambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 65.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0411 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 54.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5408 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in Zambia?
- Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in Zambia was 244,000 tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 360,000 tonnes in 1978.
- What is the lowest cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 tonnes in 1961.
- How does Zambia rank for cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel?
- Zambia ranks 52nd out of 181 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Quantity of cereal crops allocated to other uses (and not to human food or animal feed), predominantly industrial uses such as biofuel production.