Cereal yield in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Cereal yield was 743.9 kg per hectare in 2023. ▼ Falling
Cereal yield in Zimbabwe, 1961–2023
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 Zimbabwe is 743.9 kg per hectare, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 22.3% on the previous year and up 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal yield in Zimbabwe peaked at 1,867 kg per hectare in 1985 and was at its lowest, 309.7 kg per hectare, in 2008.
Zimbabwe ranks 172nd of 181 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Cereal yield in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | kg per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 919.7 kg per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 905.9 kg per hectare | -1.5% |
| 1963 | 822.5 kg per hectare | -9.2% |
| 1964 | 820.5 kg per hectare | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 930.8 kg per hectare | +13.4% |
| 1966 | 937.8 kg per hectare | +0.8% |
| 1967 | 1,294 kg per hectare | +38.0% |
| 1968 | 1,020 kg per hectare | -21.2% |
| 1969 | 1,145 kg per hectare | +12.3% |
| 1970 | 942.3 kg per hectare | -17.7% |
| 1971 | 1,392 kg per hectare | +47.7% |
| 1972 | 1,637 kg per hectare | +17.6% |
| 1973 | 961.3 kg per hectare | -41.3% |
| 1974 | 1,486 kg per hectare | +54.5% |
| 1975 | 1,360 kg per hectare | -8.4% |
| 1976 | 1,394 kg per hectare | +2.5% |
| 1977 | 1,476 kg per hectare | +5.9% |
| 1978 | 1,379 kg per hectare | -6.6% |
| 1979 | 1,144 kg per hectare | -17.0% |
| 1980 | 1,185 kg per hectare | +3.5% |
| 1981 | 1,748 kg per hectare | +47.5% |
| 1982 | 1,139 kg per hectare | -34.9% |
| 1983 | 633 kg per hectare | -44.4% |
| 1984 | 789.6 kg per hectare | +24.7% |
| 1985 | 1,867 kg per hectare | +136.4% |
| 1986 | 1,693 kg per hectare | -9.3% |
| 1987 | 853 kg per hectare | -49.6% |
| 1988 | 1,590 kg per hectare | +86.4% |
| 1989 | 1,508 kg per hectare | -5.2% |
| 1990 | 1,624 kg per hectare | +7.7% |
| 1991 | 1,336 kg per hectare | -17.7% |
| 1992 | 412.1 kg per hectare | -69.2% |
| 1993 | 1,502 kg per hectare | +264.5% |
| 1994 | 1,134 kg per hectare | -24.5% |
| 1995 | 548.2 kg per hectare | -51.7% |
| 1996 | 1,259 kg per hectare | +129.6% |
| 1997 | 1,054 kg per hectare | -16.2% |
| 1998 | 1,017 kg per hectare | -3.6% |
| 1999 | 1,069 kg per hectare | +5.2% |
| 2000 | 1,160 kg per hectare | +8.5% |
| 2001 | 1,194 kg per hectare | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 539.1 kg per hectare | -54.8% |
| 2003 | 795.3 kg per hectare | +47.5% |
| 2004 | 1,206 kg per hectare | +51.6% |
| 2005 | 653.8 kg per hectare | -45.8% |
| 2006 | 934.2 kg per hectare | +42.9% |
| 2007 | 806.7 kg per hectare | -13.6% |
| 2008 | 309.7 kg per hectare | -61.6% |
| 2009 | 452.4 kg per hectare | +46.1% |
| 2010 | 733.4 kg per hectare | +62.1% |
| 2011 | 587.4 kg per hectare | -19.9% |
| 2012 | 695.7 kg per hectare | +18.4% |
| 2013 | 668.5 kg per hectare | -3.9% |
| 2014 | 831.4 kg per hectare | +24.4% |
| 2015 | 557.5 kg per hectare | -32.9% |
| 2016 | 435.1 kg per hectare | -22.0% |
| 2017 | 1,203 kg per hectare | +176.6% |
| 2018 | 1,254 kg per hectare | +4.2% |
| 2019 | 749.6 kg per hectare | -40.2% |
| 2020 | 1,149 kg per hectare | +53.3% |
| 2021 | 1,546 kg per hectare | +34.5% |
| 2022 | 956.9 kg per hectare | -38.1% |
| 2023 | 743.9 kg per hectare | -22.3% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 743.9 kg per hectare is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2,085 kg per hectare, 36% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 743.9 kg per hectare is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,342 kg per hectare, 55% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cereal yield 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 | +264.5% | 412.1 kg per hectare | 1,502 kg per hectare |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 977.47 kg per hectare | 820.5 kg per hectare | 1,294 kg per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 1,317 kg per hectare | 942.3 kg per hectare | 1,637 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,300 kg per hectare | 633 kg per hectare | 1,867 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,096 kg per hectare | 412.1 kg per hectare | 1,624 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 805.05 kg per hectare | 309.7 kg per hectare | 1,206 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 771.61 kg per hectare | 435.1 kg per hectare | 1,254 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,099 kg per hectare | 743.9 kg per hectare | 1,546 kg per hectare | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
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 yield in Zimbabwe?
- Cereal yield in Zimbabwe was 743.9 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 1,867 kg per hectare in 1985.
- What is the lowest cereal yield recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 309.7 kg per hectare in 2008.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for cereal yield?
- Zimbabwe ranks 172nd out of 181 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cereal yield rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.3%. 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 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.