Cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Cereal production was 124.08 million metric tons in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
124.08 million metric tons
Change on year
down 33.6%
Rank
25th
of 45 groups
All-time high
187.37 million metric tons
in 2022
All-time low
38.14 million metric tons
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1961–2024
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in metric tons.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa is 124.08 million metric tons, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 33.6% on the previous year and down 20.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 187.37 million metric tons in 2022 and was at its lowest, 38.14 million metric tons, in 1961.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 25th out of 45 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | metric tons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 38.14 million metric tons | — |
| 1962 | 39.82 million metric tons | +4.4% |
| 1963 | 40.61 million metric tons | +2.0% |
| 1964 | 39.11 million metric tons | -3.7% |
| 1965 | 39.31 million metric tons | +0.5% |
| 1966 | 38.21 million metric tons | -2.8% |
| 1967 | 48.60 million metric tons | +27.2% |
| 1968 | 41.10 million metric tons | -15.4% |
| 1969 | 45.95 million metric tons | +11.8% |
| 1970 | 45.89 million metric tons | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 50.11 million metric tons | +9.2% |
| 1972 | 48.22 million metric tons | -3.8% |
| 1973 | 43.58 million metric tons | -9.6% |
| 1974 | 56.13 million metric tons | +28.8% |
| 1975 | 52.82 million metric tons | -5.9% |
| 1976 | 53.02 million metric tons | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 54.10 million metric tons | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 53.83 million metric tons | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 50.91 million metric tons | -5.4% |
| 1980 | 56.15 million metric tons | +10.3% |
| 1981 | 63.87 million metric tons | +13.7% |
| 1982 | 55.33 million metric tons | -13.4% |
| 1983 | 50.81 million metric tons | -8.2% |
| 1984 | 51.00 million metric tons | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 64.17 million metric tons | +25.8% |
| 1986 | 68.52 million metric tons | +6.8% |
| 1987 | 65.80 million metric tons | -4.0% |
| 1988 | 76.37 million metric tons | +16.1% |
| 1989 | 77.88 million metric tons | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 70.34 million metric tons | -9.7% |
| 1991 | 75.66 million metric tons | +7.6% |
| 1992 | 66.36 million metric tons | -12.3% |
| 1993 | 79.06 million metric tons | +19.1% |
| 1994 | 83.16 million metric tons | +5.2% |
| 1995 | 77.36 million metric tons | -7.0% |
| 1996 | 89.73 million metric tons | +16.0% |
| 1997 | 85.08 million metric tons | -5.2% |
| 1998 | 85.79 million metric tons | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 86.36 million metric tons | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 86.72 million metric tons | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 88.94 million metric tons | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 91.03 million metric tons | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 97.28 million metric tons | +6.9% |
| 2004 | 97.78 million metric tons | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 109.21 million metric tons | +11.7% |
| 2006 | 112.03 million metric tons | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 111.11 million metric tons | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 124.16 million metric tons | +11.7% |
| 2009 | 119.45 million metric tons | -3.8% |
| 2010 | 135.77 million metric tons | +13.7% |
| 2011 | 126.98 million metric tons | -6.5% |
| 2012 | 137.02 million metric tons | +7.9% |
| 2013 | 138.91 million metric tons | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 155.57 million metric tons | +12.0% |
| 2015 | 147.73 million metric tons | -5.0% |
| 2016 | 154.56 million metric tons | +4.6% |
| 2017 | 166.28 million metric tons | +7.6% |
| 2018 | 173.47 million metric tons | +4.3% |
| 2019 | 169.58 million metric tons | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 182.37 million metric tons | +7.5% |
| 2021 | 182.06 million metric tons | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 187.37 million metric tons | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 186.90 million metric tons | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 124.08 million metric tons | -33.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 41.21 million metric tons | 38.14 million metric tons | 48.60 million metric tons | 9 |
| 1970s | 50.86 million metric tons | 43.58 million metric tons | 56.13 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1980s | 62.99 million metric tons | 50.81 million metric tons | 77.88 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1990s | 79.89 million metric tons | 66.36 million metric tons | 89.73 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2000s | 103.77 million metric tons | 86.72 million metric tons | 124.16 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2010s | 150.59 million metric tons | 126.98 million metric tons | 173.47 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2020s | 172.56 million metric tons | 124.08 million metric tons | 187.37 million metric tons | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 22 Nigeria 28.47 million metric tons compare
- 23 Philippines 28.47 million metric tons compare
- 24 Kazakhstan 24.57 million metric tons compare
- 25 Egypt 23.39 million metric tons compare
- 26 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 22.05 million metric tons compare
- 27 Iran, Islamic Republic of 20.96 million metric tons compare
- 28 Spain 20.86 million metric tons compare
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)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Rural population 55.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa was 124.08 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 Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 187.37 million metric tons in 2022.
- What is the lowest cereal production recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.14 million metric tons in 1961.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for cereal production?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 25th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is cereal production rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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 — 64 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.