Cereal yield (kg per hectare) in Zambia
Zambia: Cereal yield (kg per hectare) was 2,344 kg per hectare in 2023. ▲ Rising
Cereal yield in Zambia, 1961–2023
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in kg per hectare.
Analysis
In 2023, cereal yield in Zambia stood at 2,344 kg per hectare.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.6% on the previous year and down 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal yield in Zambia peaked at 3,026 kg per hectare in 2015 and was at its lowest, 624.4 kg per hectare, in 1970.
That places Zambia 113th out of 181 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Cereal yield (kg per hectare) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | kg per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 822.2 kg per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 801.4 kg per hectare | -2.5% |
| 1963 | 706.9 kg per hectare | -11.8% |
| 1964 | 788.9 kg per hectare | +11.6% |
| 1965 | 823.5 kg per hectare | +4.4% |
| 1966 | 878 kg per hectare | +6.6% |
| 1967 | 869.6 kg per hectare | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 785.2 kg per hectare | -9.7% |
| 1969 | 774 kg per hectare | -1.4% |
| 1970 | 624.4 kg per hectare | -19.3% |
| 1971 | 876.3 kg per hectare | +40.3% |
| 1972 | 1,007 kg per hectare | +14.9% |
| 1973 | 838.7 kg per hectare | -16.7% |
| 1974 | 967.7 kg per hectare | +15.4% |
| 1975 | 1,311 kg per hectare | +35.5% |
| 1976 | 1,376 kg per hectare | +4.9% |
| 1977 | 1,505 kg per hectare | +9.4% |
| 1978 | 1,515 kg per hectare | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 1,529 kg per hectare | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 1,568 kg per hectare | +2.5% |
| 1981 | 1,931 kg per hectare | +23.2% |
| 1982 | 1,572 kg per hectare | -18.6% |
| 1983 | 1,651 kg per hectare | +5.0% |
| 1984 | 1,646 kg per hectare | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 1,843 kg per hectare | +11.9% |
| 1986 | 1,931 kg per hectare | +4.8% |
| 1987 | 1,610 kg per hectare | -16.6% |
| 1988 | 2,457 kg per hectare | +52.6% |
| 1989 | 1,717 kg per hectare | -30.1% |
| 1990 | 1,352 kg per hectare | -21.3% |
| 1991 | 1,641 kg per hectare | +21.4% |
| 1992 | 763.1 kg per hectare | -53.5% |
| 1993 | 2,303 kg per hectare | +201.8% |
| 1994 | 1,418 kg per hectare | -38.4% |
| 1995 | 1,331 kg per hectare | -6.1% |
| 1996 | 1,912 kg per hectare | +43.6% |
| 1997 | 1,413 kg per hectare | -26.1% |
| 1998 | 1,211 kg per hectare | -14.3% |
| 1999 | 1,324 kg per hectare | +9.3% |
| 2000 | 1,682 kg per hectare | +27.1% |
| 2001 | 1,404 kg per hectare | -16.6% |
| 2002 | 1,630 kg per hectare | +16.1% |
| 2003 | 1,721 kg per hectare | +5.6% |
| 2004 | 1,825 kg per hectare | +6.0% |
| 2005 | 1,905 kg per hectare | +4.4% |
| 2006 | 2,146 kg per hectare | +12.6% |
| 2007 | 2,259 kg per hectare | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 2,188 kg per hectare | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 2,072 kg per hectare | -5.3% |
| 2010 | 2,541 kg per hectare | +22.6% |
| 2011 | 2,745 kg per hectare | +8.0% |
| 2012 | 2,709 kg per hectare | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 2,596 kg per hectare | -4.2% |
| 2014 | 2,775 kg per hectare | +6.9% |
| 2015 | 3,026 kg per hectare | +9.1% |
| 2016 | 2,432 kg per hectare | -19.6% |
| 2017 | 2,490 kg per hectare | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 2,168 kg per hectare | -12.9% |
| 2019 | 2,400 kg per hectare | +10.7% |
| 2020 | 2,482 kg per hectare | +3.4% |
| 2021 | 2,525 kg per hectare | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 2,457 kg per hectare | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 2,344 kg per hectare | -4.6% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 2,344 kg per hectare is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2,085 kg per hectare, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 2,344 kg per hectare is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,342 kg per hectare, 1.7× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cereal yield (kg per hectare) in Zambia 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 | +201.8% | 763.1 kg per hectare | 2,303 kg per hectare |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 805.52 kg per hectare | 706.9 kg per hectare | 878 kg per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 1,155 kg per hectare | 624.4 kg per hectare | 1,529 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,793 kg per hectare | 1,568 kg per hectare | 2,457 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,467 kg per hectare | 763.1 kg per hectare | 2,303 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,883 kg per hectare | 1,404 kg per hectare | 2,259 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,588 kg per hectare | 2,168 kg per hectare | 3,026 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,452 kg per hectare | 2,344 kg per hectare | 2,525 kg per hectare | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 110 Lebanon 2,415 kg per hectare compare
- 111 Cote d'Ivoire 2,398 kg per hectare compare
- 112 Afghanistan 2,359 kg per hectare compare
- 114 Bolivia 2,209 kg per hectare compare
- 115 Senegal 2,192 kg per hectare compare
- 116 East Timor 2,129 kg per hectare compare
More agriculture & rural data for Zambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 65.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0411 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 54.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5408 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereal yield in Zambia?
- Cereal yield in Zambia was 2,344 kg per hectare in 2023, 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 3,026 kg per hectare in 2015.
- What is the lowest cereal yield recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 624.4 kg per hectare in 1970.
- How does Zambia rank for cereal yield?
- Zambia ranks 113th out of 181 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cereal yield rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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.
Download this data
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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.