Cereal production in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Cereal production was 1.17 million metric tons in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.17 million metric tons
Change on year
down 20.1%
World rank
102nd
of 181 countries
All-time high
3.42 million metric tons
in 1985
All-time low
482,169 metric tons
in 1992
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Cereal production in Zimbabwe, 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 Zimbabwe stood at 1.17 million metric tons.
That represents a change of down 20.1% on the previous year and up 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal production in Zimbabwe peaked at 3.42 million metric tons in 1985 and was at its lowest, 482,169 metric tons, in 1992.
That places Zimbabwe 102nd 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 Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | metric tons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.27 million metric tons | — |
| 1962 | 1.23 million metric tons | -3.3% |
| 1963 | 1.03 million metric tons | -15.9% |
| 1964 | 1.03 million metric tons | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 1.13 million metric tons | +10.3% |
| 1966 | 1.21 million metric tons | +6.9% |
| 1967 | 1.90 million metric tons | +56.8% |
| 1968 | 1.25 million metric tons | -34.5% |
| 1969 | 1.93 million metric tons | +55.4% |
| 1970 | 1.44 million metric tons | -25.6% |
| 1971 | 2.27 million metric tons | +58.0% |
| 1972 | 2.70 million metric tons | +18.9% |
| 1973 | 1.29 million metric tons | -52.1% |
| 1974 | 2.53 million metric tons | +95.5% |
| 1975 | 2.20 million metric tons | -13.2% |
| 1976 | 2.33 million metric tons | +5.9% |
| 1977 | 2.05 million metric tons | -11.9% |
| 1978 | 2.12 million metric tons | +3.6% |
| 1979 | 1.52 million metric tons | -28.6% |
| 1980 | 1.99 million metric tons | +31.3% |
| 1981 | 3.32 million metric tons | +66.5% |
| 1982 | 2.21 million metric tons | -33.4% |
| 1983 | 1.20 million metric tons | -45.6% |
| 1984 | 1.42 million metric tons | +18.2% |
| 1985 | 3.42 million metric tons | +140.9% |
| 1986 | 3.10 million metric tons | -9.4% |
| 1987 | 1.51 million metric tons | -51.3% |
| 1988 | 3.08 million metric tons | +104.5% |
| 1989 | 2.56 million metric tons | -17.1% |
| 1990 | 2.56 million metric tons | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 2.07 million metric tons | -19.2% |
| 1992 | 482,169 metric tons | -76.7% |
| 1993 | 2.57 million metric tons | +432.4% |
| 1994 | 2.56 million metric tons | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 1.03 million metric tons | -59.8% |
| 1996 | 2.52 million metric tons | +144.9% |
| 1997 | 1.97 million metric tons | -21.9% |
| 1998 | 1.56 million metric tons | -20.8% |
| 1999 | 1.99 million metric tons | +27.5% |
| 2000 | 1.96 million metric tons | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 1.85 million metric tons | -5.6% |
| 2002 | 855,208 metric tons | -53.8% |
| 2003 | 1.36 million metric tons | +58.7% |
| 2004 | 2.87 million metric tons | +111.7% |
| 2005 | 1.61 million metric tons | -44.0% |
| 2006 | 2.49 million metric tons | +54.4% |
| 2007 | 1.86 million metric tons | -25.4% |
| 2008 | 692,820 metric tons | -62.7% |
| 2009 | 874,058 metric tons | +26.2% |
| 2010 | 1.39 million metric tons | +58.9% |
| 2011 | 1.17 million metric tons | -15.5% |
| 2012 | 1.28 million metric tons | +9.5% |
| 2013 | 1.15 million metric tons | -10.3% |
| 2014 | 1.23 million metric tons | +6.8% |
| 2015 | 800,284 metric tons | -35.0% |
| 2016 | 676,747 metric tons | -15.4% |
| 2017 | 1.75 million metric tons | +158.3% |
| 2018 | 1.78 million metric tons | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 1.03 million metric tons | -42.4% |
| 2020 | 1.66 million metric tons | +61.9% |
| 2021 | 2.04 million metric tons | +23.0% |
| 2022 | 1.46 million metric tons | -28.5% |
| 2023 | 1.17 million metric tons | -20.1% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 1.17 million metric tons is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.89 million metric tons, 62% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 1.17 million metric tons is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.10 million metric tons, 56% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cereal production in Zimbabwe 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +432.4% | 482,169 metric tons | 2.57 million metric tons |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.33 million metric tons | 1.03 million metric tons | 1.93 million metric tons | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.05 million metric tons | 1.29 million metric tons | 2.70 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.38 million metric tons | 1.20 million metric tons | 3.42 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.93 million metric tons | 482,169 metric tons | 2.57 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.64 million metric tons | 692,820 metric tons | 2.87 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.23 million metric tons | 676,747 metric tons | 1.78 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.58 million metric tons | 1.17 million metric tons | 2.04 million metric tons | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 99 Estonia 1.20 million metric tons compare
- 100 Saudi Arabia 1.19 million metric tons compare
- 101 Norway 1.18 million metric tons compare
- 103 New Zealand 1.10 million metric tons compare
- 104 South Sudan 1.09 million metric tons compare
- 105 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.06 million metric tons compare
More agriculture & rural data for Zimbabwe
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 34.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0947 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 286.19 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.8815 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.595 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 9.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 9.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereal production in Zimbabwe?
- Cereal production in Zimbabwe was 1.17 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 3.42 million metric tons in 1985.
- What is the lowest cereal production recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 482,169 metric tons in 1992.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for cereal production?
- Zimbabwe ranks 102nd out of 181 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cereal production rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.