Cereal yields in Kenya
Kenya: Cereal yields was 1.69 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
1.69 tonnes per hectare
Change on year
down 3.7%
World rank
139th
of 186 countries
All-time high
1.96 tonnes per hectare
in 1982
All-time low
1.14 tonnes per hectare
in 1966
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Cereal yields 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 per hectare.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cereal yields in Kenya is 1.69 tonnes per hectare, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 3.7% on the previous year and up 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal yields in Kenya peaked at 1.96 tonnes per hectare in 1982 and was at its lowest, 1.14 tonnes per hectare, in 1966.
Kenya ranks 139th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Cereal yields in Kenya, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.24 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 1.21 tonnes per hectare | -3.1% |
| 1963 | 1.25 tonnes per hectare | +3.6% |
| 1964 | 1.2 tonnes per hectare | -4.0% |
| 1965 | 1.14 tonnes per hectare | -4.7% |
| 1966 | 1.14 tonnes per hectare | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 1.24 tonnes per hectare | +8.4% |
| 1968 | 1.29 tonnes per hectare | +4.2% |
| 1969 | 1.3 tonnes per hectare | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 1.28 tonnes per hectare | -1.9% |
| 1971 | 1.27 tonnes per hectare | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 1.29 tonnes per hectare | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 1.31 tonnes per hectare | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 1.35 tonnes per hectare | +3.5% |
| 1975 | 1.4 tonnes per hectare | +3.3% |
| 1976 | 1.58 tonnes per hectare | +13.3% |
| 1977 | 1.55 tonnes per hectare | -2.0% |
| 1978 | 1.41 tonnes per hectare | -9.1% |
| 1979 | 1.28 tonnes per hectare | -9.0% |
| 1980 | 1.24 tonnes per hectare | -3.2% |
| 1981 | 1.56 tonnes per hectare | +25.8% |
| 1982 | 1.96 tonnes per hectare | +25.7% |
| 1983 | 1.68 tonnes per hectare | -14.6% |
| 1984 | 1.34 tonnes per hectare | -19.9% |
| 1985 | 1.63 tonnes per hectare | +21.6% |
| 1986 | 1.89 tonnes per hectare | +15.4% |
| 1987 | 1.57 tonnes per hectare | -16.8% |
| 1988 | 1.75 tonnes per hectare | +11.3% |
| 1989 | 1.72 tonnes per hectare | -1.3% |
| 1990 | 1.56 tonnes per hectare | -9.4% |
| 1991 | 1.71 tonnes per hectare | +9.6% |
| 1992 | 1.66 tonnes per hectare | -3.0% |
| 1993 | 1.46 tonnes per hectare | -12.0% |
| 1994 | 1.92 tonnes per hectare | +31.3% |
| 1995 | 1.75 tonnes per hectare | -8.6% |
| 1996 | 1.4 tonnes per hectare | -20.0% |
| 1997 | 1.4 tonnes per hectare | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 1.59 tonnes per hectare | +13.8% |
| 1999 | 1.43 tonnes per hectare | -10.2% |
| 2000 | 1.38 tonnes per hectare | -3.7% |
| 2001 | 1.64 tonnes per hectare | +19.2% |
| 2002 | 1.49 tonnes per hectare | -9.2% |
| 2003 | 1.59 tonnes per hectare | +7.1% |
| 2004 | 1.81 tonnes per hectare | +13.3% |
| 2005 | 1.65 tonnes per hectare | -8.8% |
| 2006 | 1.65 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1.77 tonnes per hectare | +7.7% |
| 2008 | 1.42 tonnes per hectare | -20.1% |
| 2009 | 1.24 tonnes per hectare | -12.3% |
| 2010 | 1.71 tonnes per hectare | +37.6% |
| 2011 | 1.51 tonnes per hectare | -11.4% |
| 2012 | 1.74 tonnes per hectare | +15.2% |
| 2013 | 1.66 tonnes per hectare | -4.8% |
| 2014 | 1.58 tonnes per hectare | -4.7% |
| 2015 | 1.77 tonnes per hectare | +12.0% |
| 2016 | 1.38 tonnes per hectare | -22.0% |
| 2017 | 1.43 tonnes per hectare | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 1.71 tonnes per hectare | +19.9% |
| 2019 | 1.6 tonnes per hectare | -6.1% |
| 2020 | 1.84 tonnes per hectare | +14.8% |
| 2021 | 1.52 tonnes per hectare | -17.4% |
| 2022 | 1.48 tonnes per hectare | -3.0% |
| 2023 | 1.76 tonnes per hectare | +19.0% |
| 2024 | 1.69 tonnes per hectare | -3.7% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 1.69 tonnes per hectare is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.02 tonnes per hectare, 84% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 1.69 tonnes per hectare is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.34 tonnes per hectare, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.22 tonnes per hectare | 1.14 tonnes per hectare | 1.3 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.37 tonnes per hectare | 1.27 tonnes per hectare | 1.58 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.63 tonnes per hectare | 1.24 tonnes per hectare | 1.96 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.59 tonnes per hectare | 1.4 tonnes per hectare | 1.92 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.56 tonnes per hectare | 1.24 tonnes per hectare | 1.81 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.61 tonnes per hectare | 1.38 tonnes per hectare | 1.77 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.66 tonnes per hectare | 1.48 tonnes per hectare | 1.84 tonnes per hectare | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 136 Micronesia (country) 1.72 tonnes per hectare compare
- 137 Turkmenistan 1.71 tonnes per hectare compare
- 138 French Guiana 1.7 tonnes per hectare compare
- 140 Dominica 1.69 tonnes per hectare compare
- 141 Mali 1.66 tonnes per hectare compare
- 142 Jordan 1.61 tonnes per hectare 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 yields in Kenya?
- Cereal yields in Kenya was 1.69 tonnes per hectare 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 yields recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 1.96 tonnes per hectare in 1982.
- What is the lowest cereal yields recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.14 tonnes per hectare in 1966.
- How does Kenya rank for cereal yields?
- Kenya ranks 139th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cereal yields rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.9%. 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 yields. 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
Measured in tonnes per hectare.