Cereal production in South Korea
South Korea: Cereal production was 5.13 million metric tons in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
5.13 million metric tons
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
57th
of 181 countries
All-time high
10.54 million metric tons
in 1978
All-time low
4.95 million metric tons
in 2020
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Cereal production in South Korea, 1961–2023
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in metric tons.
Analysis
In 2023, cereal production in South Korea stood at 5.13 million metric tons.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and down 11.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal production in South Korea peaked at 10.54 million metric tons in 1978 and was at its lowest, 4.95 million metric tons, in 2020.
That places South Korea 57th out of 181 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Cereal production in South Korea, year by year
| Year | metric tons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 6.63 million metric tons | — |
| 1962 | 5.90 million metric tons | -11.0% |
| 1963 | 6.38 million metric tons | +8.0% |
| 1964 | 7.38 million metric tons | +15.7% |
| 1965 | 7.21 million metric tons | -2.3% |
| 1966 | 8.04 million metric tons | +11.5% |
| 1967 | 7.45 million metric tons | -7.3% |
| 1968 | 7.16 million metric tons | -4.0% |
| 1969 | 8.38 million metric tons | +17.0% |
| 1970 | 8.03 million metric tons | -4.1% |
| 1971 | 7.97 million metric tons | -0.8% |
| 1972 | 7.98 million metric tons | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 8.06 million metric tons | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 8.28 million metric tons | +2.8% |
| 1975 | 9.04 million metric tons | +9.2% |
| 1976 | 9.88 million metric tons | +9.3% |
| 1977 | 9.64 million metric tons | -2.4% |
| 1978 | 10.54 million metric tons | +9.3% |
| 1979 | 10.15 million metric tons | -3.7% |
| 1980 | 6.68 million metric tons | -34.2% |
| 1981 | 8.53 million metric tons | +27.8% |
| 1982 | 8.58 million metric tons | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 9.00 million metric tons | +4.8% |
| 1984 | 9.27 million metric tons | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 8.81 million metric tons | -5.0% |
| 1986 | 8.64 million metric tons | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 8.47 million metric tons | -2.0% |
| 1988 | 9.16 million metric tons | +8.2% |
| 1989 | 8.95 million metric tons | -2.3% |
| 1990 | 8.43 million metric tons | -5.8% |
| 1991 | 7.72 million metric tons | -8.5% |
| 1992 | 7.68 million metric tons | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 6.81 million metric tons | -11.2% |
| 1994 | 7.16 million metric tons | +5.0% |
| 1995 | 6.77 million metric tons | -5.5% |
| 1996 | 7.51 million metric tons | +10.9% |
| 1997 | 7.61 million metric tons | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 7.07 million metric tons | -7.1% |
| 1999 | 7.40 million metric tons | +4.6% |
| 2000 | 7.44 million metric tons | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 7.75 million metric tons | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 6.99 million metric tons | -9.8% |
| 2003 | 6.40 million metric tons | -8.4% |
| 2004 | 7.01 million metric tons | +9.6% |
| 2005 | 6.72 million metric tons | -4.2% |
| 2006 | 6.54 million metric tons | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 6.24 million metric tons | -4.7% |
| 2008 | 6.75 million metric tons | +8.3% |
| 2009 | 6.76 million metric tons | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 6.02 million metric tons | -10.9% |
| 2011 | 5.83 million metric tons | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 5.60 million metric tons | -3.8% |
| 2013 | 5.81 million metric tons | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 5.85 million metric tons | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 5.98 million metric tons | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 5.83 million metric tons | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 5.49 million metric tons | -5.9% |
| 2018 | 5.42 million metric tons | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 5.27 million metric tons | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 4.95 million metric tons | -6.2% |
| 2021 | 5.44 million metric tons | +10.1% |
| 2022 | 5.22 million metric tons | -4.1% |
| 2023 | 5.13 million metric tons | -1.6% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 5.13 million metric tons is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.90 million metric tons, 2.7× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 5.13 million metric tons is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.22 million metric tons, 1.6× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.17 million metric tons | 5.90 million metric tons | 8.38 million metric tons | 9 |
| 1970s | 8.96 million metric tons | 7.97 million metric tons | 10.54 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.61 million metric tons | 6.68 million metric tons | 9.27 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.42 million metric tons | 6.77 million metric tons | 8.43 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.86 million metric tons | 6.24 million metric tons | 7.75 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.71 million metric tons | 5.27 million metric tons | 6.02 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.19 million metric tons | 4.95 million metric tons | 5.44 million metric tons | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More agriculture & rural data for South Korea
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 0.2516 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0146 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 530.46 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1591 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1883 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereal production in South Korea?
- Cereal production in South Korea was 5.13 million metric tons in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest cereal production recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 10.54 million metric tons in 1978.
- What is the lowest cereal production recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.95 million metric tons in 2020.
- How does South Korea rank for cereal production?
- South Korea ranks 57th out of 181 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cereal production rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Cereal production (metric tons). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.