Cereal production in Kenya
Kenya: Cereal production was 4.98 million tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
4.98 million tonnes
Change on year
down 3.3%
World rank
59th
of 186 countries
All-time high
5.15 million tonnes
in 2023
All-time low
1.38 million tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Cereal production in Kenya, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2024, cereal production in Kenya stood at 4.98 million tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.3% on the previous year and up 17.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal production in Kenya peaked at 5.15 million tonnes in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.38 million tonnes, in 1961.
That places Kenya 59th out of 186 countries 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 Kenya, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.38 million tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 1.52 million tonnes | +10.5% |
| 1963 | 1.71 million tonnes | +12.5% |
| 1964 | 1.72 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 1.79 million tonnes | +4.4% |
| 1966 | 1.62 million tonnes | -9.8% |
| 1967 | 2.01 million tonnes | +24.0% |
| 1968 | 2.33 million tonnes | +16.2% |
| 1969 | 2.32 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 2.09 million tonnes | -10.1% |
| 1971 | 2.01 million tonnes | -3.9% |
| 1972 | 2.21 million tonnes | +10.3% |
| 1973 | 2.45 million tonnes | +10.4% |
| 1974 | 2.54 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1975 | 2.63 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1976 | 3.24 million tonnes | +23.2% |
| 1977 | 3.18 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 1978 | 2.78 million tonnes | -12.5% |
| 1979 | 2.38 million tonnes | -14.4% |
| 1980 | 2.23 million tonnes | -6.2% |
| 1981 | 2.23 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 2.95 million tonnes | +32.2% |
| 1983 | 2.71 million tonnes | -7.9% |
| 1984 | 1.74 million tonnes | -35.9% |
| 1985 | 2.92 million tonnes | +67.6% |
| 1986 | 3.39 million tonnes | +16.1% |
| 1987 | 2.90 million tonnes | -14.4% |
| 1988 | 3.30 million tonnes | +13.9% |
| 1989 | 3.16 million tonnes | -4.2% |
| 1990 | 2.79 million tonnes | -11.8% |
| 1991 | 2.92 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 1992 | 3.00 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 2.54 million tonnes | -15.3% |
| 1994 | 3.62 million tonnes | +42.7% |
| 1995 | 3.23 million tonnes | -10.9% |
| 1996 | 2.67 million tonnes | -17.4% |
| 1997 | 2.70 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 2.93 million tonnes | +8.4% |
| 1999 | 2.80 million tonnes | -4.3% |
| 2000 | 2.59 million tonnes | -7.5% |
| 2001 | 3.37 million tonnes | +30.0% |
| 2002 | 3.05 million tonnes | -9.6% |
| 2003 | 3.35 million tonnes | +10.0% |
| 2004 | 3.20 million tonnes | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 3.59 million tonnes | +12.1% |
| 2006 | 3.94 million tonnes | +9.8% |
| 2007 | 3.61 million tonnes | -8.2% |
| 2008 | 2.87 million tonnes | -20.7% |
| 2009 | 2.90 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 4.35 million tonnes | +50.0% |
| 2011 | 4.06 million tonnes | -6.6% |
| 2012 | 4.71 million tonnes | +16.1% |
| 2013 | 4.54 million tonnes | -3.7% |
| 2014 | 4.23 million tonnes | -6.8% |
| 2015 | 4.52 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 2016 | 3.89 million tonnes | -14.0% |
| 2017 | 3.71 million tonnes | -4.6% |
| 2018 | 4.81 million tonnes | +29.5% |
| 2019 | 4.60 million tonnes | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 4.88 million tonnes | +6.2% |
| 2021 | 4.07 million tonnes | -16.5% |
| 2022 | 3.85 million tonnes | -5.6% |
| 2023 | 5.15 million tonnes | +33.8% |
| 2024 | 4.98 million tonnes | -3.3% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 4.98 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.95 million tonnes, 2.6× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 4.98 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.65 million tonnes, 3.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.82 million tonnes | 1.38 million tonnes | 2.33 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.55 million tonnes | 2.01 million tonnes | 3.24 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.75 million tonnes | 1.74 million tonnes | 3.39 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.92 million tonnes | 2.54 million tonnes | 3.62 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.25 million tonnes | 2.59 million tonnes | 3.94 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.34 million tonnes | 3.71 million tonnes | 4.81 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.59 million tonnes | 3.85 million tonnes | 5.15 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 56 Burkina Faso 5.21 million tonnes compare
- 57 Sweden 5.15 million tonnes compare
- 58 South Korea 4.98 million tonnes compare
- 60 Sri Lanka 4.93 million tonnes compare
- 61 North Korea 4.89 million tonnes compare
- 62 Austria 4.88 million tonnes compare
More agriculture & rural data for Kenya
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 16.52 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2316 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 547.24 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6779 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 12.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereal production in Kenya?
- Cereal production in Kenya was 4.98 million tonnes in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cereal production recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 5.15 million tonnes in 2023.
- What is the lowest cereal production recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.38 million tonnes in 1961.
- How does Kenya rank for cereal production?
- Kenya ranks 59th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cereal production rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya 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 Cereal production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Cereals include wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains.