Cereal yield (kg per hectare) in Nigeria
Nigeria: Cereal yield (kg per hectare) was 1,558 kg per hectare in 2024. ▲ Rising
Cereal yield in Nigeria, 1961–2024
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in kg per hectare.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 1,558 kg per hectare for cereal yield in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal yield in Nigeria peaked at 1,660 kg per hectare in 2022 and was at its lowest, 607.8 kg per hectare, in 1966.
That places Nigeria 142nd out of 181 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Cereal yield (kg per hectare) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | kg per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 743 kg per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 782.8 kg per hectare | +5.4% |
| 1963 | 763.7 kg per hectare | -2.4% |
| 1964 | 717.8 kg per hectare | -6.0% |
| 1965 | 687.1 kg per hectare | -4.3% |
| 1966 | 607.8 kg per hectare | -11.5% |
| 1967 | 693.5 kg per hectare | +14.1% |
| 1968 | 671.1 kg per hectare | -3.2% |
| 1969 | 611 kg per hectare | -9.0% |
| 1970 | 722.9 kg per hectare | +18.3% |
| 1971 | 709.6 kg per hectare | -1.8% |
| 1972 | 654.9 kg per hectare | -7.7% |
| 1973 | 659.2 kg per hectare | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 996.1 kg per hectare | +51.1% |
| 1975 | 967.1 kg per hectare | -2.9% |
| 1976 | 725.2 kg per hectare | -25.0% |
| 1977 | 932.6 kg per hectare | +28.6% |
| 1978 | 916.1 kg per hectare | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 1,053 kg per hectare | +15.0% |
| 1980 | 1,087 kg per hectare | +3.2% |
| 1981 | 1,656 kg per hectare | +52.3% |
| 1982 | 1,633 kg per hectare | -1.4% |
| 1983 | 1,526 kg per hectare | -6.5% |
| 1984 | 1,266 kg per hectare | -17.0% |
| 1985 | 1,248 kg per hectare | -1.5% |
| 1986 | 1,157 kg per hectare | -7.3% |
| 1987 | 1,203 kg per hectare | +4.0% |
| 1988 | 1,306 kg per hectare | +8.5% |
| 1989 | 1,253 kg per hectare | -4.0% |
| 1990 | 1,148 kg per hectare | -8.4% |
| 1991 | 1,094 kg per hectare | -4.7% |
| 1992 | 1,164 kg per hectare | +6.4% |
| 1993 | 1,153 kg per hectare | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 1,132 kg per hectare | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 1,210 kg per hectare | +6.9% |
| 1996 | 1,220 kg per hectare | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 1,183 kg per hectare | -3.1% |
| 1998 | 1,202 kg per hectare | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 1,239 kg per hectare | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 1,172 kg per hectare | -5.5% |
| 2001 | 1,234 kg per hectare | +5.3% |
| 2002 | 1,255 kg per hectare | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 1,309 kg per hectare | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 1,373 kg per hectare | +4.9% |
| 2005 | 1,422 kg per hectare | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 1,508 kg per hectare | +6.0% |
| 2007 | 1,400 kg per hectare | -7.1% |
| 2008 | 1,598 kg per hectare | +14.2% |
| 2009 | 1,531 kg per hectare | -4.2% |
| 2010 | 1,528 kg per hectare | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 1,334 kg per hectare | -12.7% |
| 2012 | 1,399 kg per hectare | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 1,297 kg per hectare | -7.3% |
| 2014 | 1,555 kg per hectare | +19.9% |
| 2015 | 1,527 kg per hectare | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 1,597 kg per hectare | +4.6% |
| 2017 | 1,506 kg per hectare | -5.7% |
| 2018 | 1,549 kg per hectare | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 1,630 kg per hectare | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 1,620 kg per hectare | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 1,622 kg per hectare | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 1,660 kg per hectare | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 1,549 kg per hectare | -6.7% |
| 2024 | 1,558 kg per hectare | +0.6% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 1,558 kg per hectare is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2,085 kg per hectare, 75% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 1,558 kg per hectare is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,342 kg per hectare, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cereal yield (kg per hectare) in Nigeria 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +52.3% | 1,087 kg per hectare | 1,656 kg per hectare |
| 1974 | +51.1% | 659.2 kg per hectare | 996.1 kg per hectare |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 697.53 kg per hectare | 607.8 kg per hectare | 782.8 kg per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 833.7 kg per hectare | 654.9 kg per hectare | 1,053 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,333 kg per hectare | 1,087 kg per hectare | 1,656 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,175 kg per hectare | 1,094 kg per hectare | 1,239 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,380 kg per hectare | 1,172 kg per hectare | 1,598 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,492 kg per hectare | 1,297 kg per hectare | 1,630 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,602 kg per hectare | 1,549 kg per hectare | 1,660 kg per hectare | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 139 Trinidad and Tobago 1,600 kg per hectare compare
- 140 Mali 1,588 kg per hectare compare
- 141 Gabon 1,587 kg per hectare compare
- 143 Mauritania 1,537 kg per hectare compare
- 144 Algeria 1,537 kg per hectare compare
- 145 Kazakhstan 1,530 kg per hectare compare
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 yield in Nigeria?
- Cereal yield in Nigeria was 1,558 kg per hectare in 2024, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest cereal yield recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 1,660 kg per hectare in 2022.
- What is the lowest cereal yield recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 607.8 kg per hectare in 1966.
- How does Nigeria rank for cereal yield?
- Nigeria ranks 142nd out of 181 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cereal yield rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. 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 yield (kg per hectare). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Cereal yield, measured as kilograms per hectare of harvested land, includes wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains. 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. The FAO allocates production data to the calendar year in which the bulk of the harvest took place. Most of a crop harvested near the end of a year will be used in the following year.