Cereal yields in Zambia
Zambia: Cereal yields was 2.32 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ▲ Rising
Cereal yields in Zambia, 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
Zambia recorded 2.32 tonnes per hectare for cereal yields in 2024.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 16.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal yields in Zambia peaked at 3.03 tonnes per hectare in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.6244 tonnes per hectare, in 1970.
That places Zambia 114th out of 185 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.8055 tonnes per hectare | 0.7069 tonnes per hectare | 0.878 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.16 tonnes per hectare | 0.6244 tonnes per hectare | 1.53 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.79 tonnes per hectare | 1.57 tonnes per hectare | 2.46 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.47 tonnes per hectare | 0.7631 tonnes per hectare | 2.3 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.88 tonnes per hectare | 1.4 tonnes per hectare | 2.26 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.59 tonnes per hectare | 2.17 tonnes per hectare | 3.03 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.43 tonnes per hectare | 2.32 tonnes per hectare | 2.52 tonnes per hectare | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 111 Moldova 2.41 tonnes per hectare compare
- 112 Madagascar 2.39 tonnes per hectare compare
- 113 Afghanistan 2.36 tonnes per hectare compare
- 115 Guatemala 2.24 tonnes per hectare compare
- 116 Bolivia 2.21 tonnes per hectare compare
- 117 East Timor 2.11 tonnes per hectare compare
More agriculture & rural data for Zambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.19 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 4.1% (2025)
- Rural population 11.85 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.9% (2025)
- Rural population 54.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.1% (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.1% (2025)
- Land under cereal production 1.56 million hectares (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereal yields in Zambia?
- Cereal yields in Zambia was 2.32 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.03 tonnes per hectare in 2015.
- What is the lowest cereal yields recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6244 tonnes per hectare in 1970.
- How does Zambia rank for cereal yields?
- Zambia ranks 114th out of 185 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cereal yields rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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.