Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Nigeria
Nigeria: Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? was 5.08 million tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
5.08 million tonnes
Change on year
down 4.8%
World rank
36th
of 192 countries
All-time high
7.50 million tonnes
in 2014
All-time low
128,000 tonnes
in 1963
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Nigeria, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Nigeria is 5.08 million tonnes, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.8% on the previous year and down 29.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Nigeria peaked at 7.50 million tonnes in 2014 and was at its lowest, 128,000 tonnes, in 1963.
That places Nigeria 36th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 156,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 199,000 tonnes | +27.6% |
| 1963 | 128,000 tonnes | -35.7% |
| 1964 | 175,000 tonnes | +36.7% |
| 1965 | 135,000 tonnes | -22.9% |
| 1966 | 252,000 tonnes | +86.7% |
| 1967 | 186,000 tonnes | -26.2% |
| 1968 | 183,000 tonnes | -1.6% |
| 1969 | 262,000 tonnes | +43.2% |
| 1970 | 348,000 tonnes | +32.8% |
| 1971 | 486,000 tonnes | +39.7% |
| 1972 | 428,000 tonnes | -11.9% |
| 1973 | 515,000 tonnes | +20.3% |
| 1974 | 440,000 tonnes | -14.6% |
| 1975 | 546,000 tonnes | +24.1% |
| 1976 | 921,000 tonnes | +68.7% |
| 1977 | 1.48 million tonnes | +60.5% |
| 1978 | 2.20 million tonnes | +48.6% |
| 1979 | 1.80 million tonnes | -18.0% |
| 1980 | 2.00 million tonnes | +11.3% |
| 1981 | 2.43 million tonnes | +21.1% |
| 1982 | 2.37 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 1983 | 1.65 million tonnes | -30.4% |
| 1984 | 1.73 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1985 | 2.20 million tonnes | +27.4% |
| 1986 | 1.51 million tonnes | -31.3% |
| 1987 | 845,000 tonnes | -44.0% |
| 1988 | 566,000 tonnes | -33.0% |
| 1989 | 527,000 tonnes | -6.9% |
| 1990 | 487,000 tonnes | -7.6% |
| 1991 | 832,000 tonnes | +70.8% |
| 1992 | 1.10 million tonnes | +32.5% |
| 1993 | 1.73 million tonnes | +56.9% |
| 1994 | 1.19 million tonnes | -31.1% |
| 1995 | 1.04 million tonnes | -12.8% |
| 1996 | 1.27 million tonnes | +22.4% |
| 1997 | 1.91 million tonnes | +50.0% |
| 1998 | 2.17 million tonnes | +14.0% |
| 1999 | 2.49 million tonnes | +14.8% |
| 2000 | 3.10 million tonnes | +24.3% |
| 2001 | 4.04 million tonnes | +30.3% |
| 2002 | 3.77 million tonnes | -6.6% |
| 2003 | 3.95 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 4.13 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 2005 | 5.06 million tonnes | +22.6% |
| 2006 | 4.37 million tonnes | -13.8% |
| 2007 | 4.84 million tonnes | +10.9% |
| 2008 | 4.19 million tonnes | -13.4% |
| 2009 | 5.15 million tonnes | +22.9% |
| 2010 | 6.95 million tonnes | +34.9% |
| 2011 | 7.50 million tonnes | +7.9% |
| 2012 | 5.95 million tonnes | -20.7% |
| 2013 | 7.15 million tonnes | +20.2% |
| 2014 | 7.50 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 5.99 million tonnes | -20.2% |
| 2016 | 4.87 million tonnes | -18.6% |
| 2017 | 6.71 million tonnes | +37.7% |
| 2018 | 5.35 million tonnes | -20.2% |
| 2019 | 6.46 million tonnes | +20.6% |
| 2020 | 6.53 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 6.94 million tonnes | +6.2% |
| 2022 | 5.33 million tonnes | -23.1% |
| 2023 | 5.08 million tonnes | -4.8% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 5.08 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.19 million tonnes, 4.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 5.08 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.01 million tonnes, 5.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 186,222 tonnes | 128,000 tonnes | 262,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 916,100 tonnes | 348,000 tonnes | 2.20 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.58 million tonnes | 527,000 tonnes | 2.43 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.42 million tonnes | 487,000 tonnes | 2.49 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.26 million tonnes | 3.10 million tonnes | 5.15 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.44 million tonnes | 4.87 million tonnes | 7.50 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.97 million tonnes | 5.08 million tonnes | 6.94 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 33 South Africa 5.88 million tonnes compare
- 34 United Arab Emirates 5.33 million tonnes compare
- 35 Uzbekistan 5.09 million tonnes compare
- 37 Ireland 5.06 million tonnes compare
- 38 Romania 4.83 million tonnes compare
- 39 Kenya 4.75 million tonnes compare
More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2298 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 281.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1218 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3622 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Nigeria?
- Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Nigeria was 5.08 million tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 7.50 million tonnes in 2014.
- What is the lowest cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 128,000 tonnes in 1963.
- How does Nigeria rank for cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters??
- Nigeria ranks 36th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters?. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Imports and exports are measured as the net sum of all cereal crop varieties. Countries which lie above the grey line are net importers of cereals; those below the line are net exporters.