Cereal yield in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Cereal yield was 1,453 kg per hectare in 2024. ▲ Rising
Cereal yield in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1961–2024
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in kg per hectare.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cereal yield in Sub-Saharan Africa is 1,453 kg per hectare, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 7.3% on the previous year and up 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal yield in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 1,595 kg per hectare in 2022 and was at its lowest, 767.41 kg per hectare, in 1965.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 37th out of 45 groups 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 in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | kg per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 805.84 kg per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 821.99 kg per hectare | +2.0% |
| 1963 | 821.7 kg per hectare | -0.0% |
| 1964 | 789.58 kg per hectare | -3.9% |
| 1965 | 767.41 kg per hectare | -2.8% |
| 1966 | 771.99 kg per hectare | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 919.27 kg per hectare | +19.1% |
| 1968 | 794.03 kg per hectare | -13.6% |
| 1969 | 802.27 kg per hectare | +1.0% |
| 1970 | 829.32 kg per hectare | +3.4% |
| 1971 | 900.77 kg per hectare | +8.6% |
| 1972 | 917.27 kg per hectare | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 799.71 kg per hectare | -12.8% |
| 1974 | 1,022 kg per hectare | +27.9% |
| 1975 | 1,008 kg per hectare | -1.4% |
| 1976 | 953.14 kg per hectare | -5.4% |
| 1977 | 1,016 kg per hectare | +6.6% |
| 1978 | 1,032 kg per hectare | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 1,007 kg per hectare | -2.3% |
| 1980 | 1,064 kg per hectare | +5.7% |
| 1981 | 1,240 kg per hectare | +16.5% |
| 1982 | 1,076 kg per hectare | -13.2% |
| 1983 | 960.1 kg per hectare | -10.8% |
| 1984 | 923.45 kg per hectare | -3.8% |
| 1985 | 1,056 kg per hectare | +14.3% |
| 1986 | 1,050 kg per hectare | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 1,035 kg per hectare | -1.4% |
| 1988 | 1,098 kg per hectare | +6.1% |
| 1989 | 1,131 kg per hectare | +2.9% |
| 1990 | 1,052 kg per hectare | -6.9% |
| 1991 | 1,061 kg per hectare | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 905.97 kg per hectare | -14.6% |
| 1993 | 1,082 kg per hectare | +19.4% |
| 1994 | 1,029 kg per hectare | -4.9% |
| 1995 | 992.26 kg per hectare | -3.6% |
| 1996 | 1,129 kg per hectare | +13.7% |
| 1997 | 1,049 kg per hectare | -7.0% |
| 1998 | 1,070 kg per hectare | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 1,109 kg per hectare | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 1,126 kg per hectare | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 1,129 kg per hectare | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 1,133 kg per hectare | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 1,111 kg per hectare | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 1,189 kg per hectare | +7.0% |
| 2005 | 1,159 kg per hectare | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 1,237 kg per hectare | +6.7% |
| 2007 | 1,214 kg per hectare | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 1,290 kg per hectare | +6.3% |
| 2009 | 1,312 kg per hectare | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 1,363 kg per hectare | +3.9% |
| 2011 | 1,271 kg per hectare | -6.7% |
| 2012 | 1,408 kg per hectare | +10.8% |
| 2013 | 1,333 kg per hectare | -5.3% |
| 2014 | 1,443 kg per hectare | +8.3% |
| 2015 | 1,443 kg per hectare | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 1,383 kg per hectare | -4.2% |
| 2017 | 1,496 kg per hectare | +8.2% |
| 2018 | 1,488 kg per hectare | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 1,511 kg per hectare | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 1,589 kg per hectare | +5.2% |
| 2021 | 1,581 kg per hectare | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 1,595 kg per hectare | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 1,569 kg per hectare | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 1,453 kg per hectare | -7.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 810.45 kg per hectare | 767.41 kg per hectare | 919.27 kg per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 948.63 kg per hectare | 799.71 kg per hectare | 1,032 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,063 kg per hectare | 923.45 kg per hectare | 1,240 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,048 kg per hectare | 905.97 kg per hectare | 1,129 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,190 kg per hectare | 1,111 kg per hectare | 1,312 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,414 kg per hectare | 1,271 kg per hectare | 1,511 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,557 kg per hectare | 1,453 kg per hectare | 1,595 kg per hectare | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 34 Luxembourg 5,540 kg per hectare compare
- 35 Bosnia and Herzegovina 5,530 kg per hectare compare
- 36 Bangladesh 5,408 kg per hectare compare
- 37 Uzbekistan 5,344 kg per hectare compare
- 38 Portugal 5,309 kg per hectare compare
- 39 Bulgaria 5,224 kg per hectare compare
- 40 Albania 5,170 kg per hectare 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)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.96 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2024)
- Rural population 55.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereal yield in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Cereal yield in Sub-Saharan Africa was 1,453 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 Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1,595 kg per hectare in 2022.
- What is the lowest cereal yield recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 767.41 kg per hectare in 1965.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for cereal yield?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 37th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is cereal yield rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. 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 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.