Cereal production in Nigeria
Nigeria: Cereal production was 28.47 million metric tons in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
28.47 million metric tons
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
22nd
of 181 countries
All-time high
30.31 million metric tons
in 2022
All-time low
5.81 million metric tons
in 1972
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Cereal production in Nigeria, 1961–2024
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in metric tons.
Analysis
In 2024, cereal production in Nigeria stood at 28.47 million metric tons.
The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal production in Nigeria peaked at 30.31 million metric tons in 2022 and was at its lowest, 5.81 million metric tons, in 1972.
That places Nigeria 22nd out of 181 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Cereal production in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | metric tons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 7.89 million metric tons | — |
| 1962 | 8.32 million metric tons | +5.5% |
| 1963 | 8.20 million metric tons | -1.5% |
| 1964 | 8.11 million metric tons | -1.2% |
| 1965 | 8.41 million metric tons | +3.8% |
| 1966 | 6.14 million metric tons | -27.0% |
| 1967 | 7.38 million metric tons | +20.1% |
| 1968 | 7.41 million metric tons | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 8.80 million metric tons | +18.8% |
| 1970 | 8.98 million metric tons | +2.1% |
| 1971 | 8.33 million metric tons | -7.3% |
| 1972 | 5.81 million metric tons | -30.2% |
| 1973 | 8.24 million metric tons | +41.9% |
| 1974 | 10.29 million metric tons | +24.8% |
| 1975 | 8.35 million metric tons | -18.8% |
| 1976 | 7.16 million metric tons | -14.2% |
| 1977 | 6.96 million metric tons | -2.8% |
| 1978 | 6.00 million metric tons | -13.7% |
| 1979 | 6.44 million metric tons | +7.2% |
| 1980 | 7.79 million metric tons | +21.0% |
| 1981 | 8.05 million metric tons | +3.4% |
| 1982 | 8.47 million metric tons | +5.2% |
| 1983 | 8.83 million metric tons | +4.3% |
| 1984 | 10.50 million metric tons | +19.0% |
| 1985 | 11.89 million metric tons | +13.2% |
| 1986 | 14.66 million metric tons | +23.3% |
| 1987 | 15.92 million metric tons | +8.6% |
| 1988 | 16.56 million metric tons | +4.0% |
| 1989 | 18.01 million metric tons | +8.7% |
| 1990 | 17.68 million metric tons | -1.8% |
| 1991 | 18.61 million metric tons | +5.3% |
| 1992 | 19.60 million metric tons | +5.3% |
| 1993 | 20.09 million metric tons | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 20.37 million metric tons | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 22.51 million metric tons | +10.5% |
| 1996 | 21.66 million metric tons | -3.8% |
| 1997 | 21.85 million metric tons | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 22.04 million metric tons | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 22.41 million metric tons | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 21.37 million metric tons | -4.6% |
| 2001 | 20.09 million metric tons | -6.0% |
| 2002 | 21.37 million metric tons | +6.4% |
| 2003 | 22.74 million metric tons | +6.4% |
| 2004 | 24.32 million metric tons | +7.0% |
| 2005 | 26.03 million metric tons | +7.0% |
| 2006 | 28.86 million metric tons | +10.9% |
| 2007 | 27.17 million metric tons | -5.9% |
| 2008 | 30.21 million metric tons | +11.2% |
| 2009 | 21.27 million metric tons | -29.6% |
| 2010 | 24.65 million metric tons | +15.9% |
| 2011 | 20.70 million metric tons | -16.0% |
| 2012 | 21.43 million metric tons | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 20.61 million metric tons | -3.8% |
| 2014 | 26.38 million metric tons | +28.0% |
| 2015 | 26.07 million metric tons | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 27.53 million metric tons | +5.6% |
| 2017 | 27.10 million metric tons | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 28.19 million metric tons | +4.0% |
| 2019 | 29.80 million metric tons | +5.7% |
| 2020 | 29.21 million metric tons | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 29.86 million metric tons | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 30.31 million metric tons | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 28.05 million metric tons | -7.5% |
| 2024 | 28.47 million metric tons | +1.5% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 28.47 million metric tons is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.89 million metric tons, 15.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 28.47 million metric tons is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.10 million metric tons, 13.6× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.85 million metric tons | 6.14 million metric tons | 8.80 million metric tons | 9 |
| 1970s | 7.66 million metric tons | 5.81 million metric tons | 10.29 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.07 million metric tons | 7.79 million metric tons | 18.01 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.68 million metric tons | 17.68 million metric tons | 22.51 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.34 million metric tons | 20.09 million metric tons | 30.21 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.25 million metric tons | 20.61 million metric tons | 29.80 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.18 million metric tons | 28.05 million metric tons | 30.31 million metric tons | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2298 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 281.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1218 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3622 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereal production in Nigeria?
- Cereal production in Nigeria was 28.47 million metric tons in 2024, 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 30.31 million metric tons in 2022.
- What is the lowest cereal production recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.81 million metric tons in 1972.
- How does Nigeria rank for cereal production?
- Nigeria ranks 22nd out of 181 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cereal production rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria 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
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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.