Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in South Africa
South Africa: Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? was 5.88 million tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
5.88 million tonnes
Change on year
up 5.0%
World rank
33rd
of 192 countries
All-time high
8.46 million tonnes
in 2016
All-time low
86,000 tonnes
in 1965
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in South Africa, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 5.88 million tonnes for cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.0% on the previous year and up 15.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in South Africa peaked at 8.46 million tonnes in 2016 and was at its lowest, 86,000 tonnes, in 1965.
That places South Africa 33rd 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 South Africa, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 176,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 125,000 tonnes | -29.0% |
| 1963 | 389,000 tonnes | +211.2% |
| 1964 | 263,000 tonnes | -32.4% |
| 1965 | 86,000 tonnes | -67.3% |
| 1966 | 1.04 million tonnes | +1104.7% |
| 1967 | 644,000 tonnes | -37.8% |
| 1968 | 112,000 tonnes | -82.6% |
| 1969 | 453,000 tonnes | +304.5% |
| 1970 | 449,000 tonnes | -0.9% |
| 1971 | 217,000 tonnes | -51.7% |
| 1972 | 162,000 tonnes | -25.3% |
| 1973 | 198,000 tonnes | +22.2% |
| 1974 | 200,000 tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 162,000 tonnes | -19.0% |
| 1976 | 186,000 tonnes | +14.8% |
| 1977 | 261,000 tonnes | +40.3% |
| 1978 | 186,000 tonnes | -28.7% |
| 1979 | 244,000 tonnes | +31.2% |
| 1980 | 262,000 tonnes | +7.4% |
| 1981 | 599,000 tonnes | +128.6% |
| 1982 | 400,000 tonnes | -33.2% |
| 1983 | 1.64 million tonnes | +308.8% |
| 1984 | 3.42 million tonnes | +109.3% |
| 1985 | 880,000 tonnes | -74.3% |
| 1986 | 918,000 tonnes | +4.3% |
| 1987 | 710,000 tonnes | -22.7% |
| 1988 | 550,000 tonnes | -22.5% |
| 1989 | 554,000 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 1.06 million tonnes | +90.8% |
| 1991 | 1.55 million tonnes | +46.6% |
| 1992 | 4.99 million tonnes | +221.9% |
| 1993 | 2.56 million tonnes | -48.7% |
| 1994 | 1.37 million tonnes | -46.6% |
| 1995 | 2.40 million tonnes | +75.5% |
| 1996 | 2.33 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 1997 | 1.56 million tonnes | -33.3% |
| 1998 | 1.49 million tonnes | -4.4% |
| 1999 | 1.73 million tonnes | +15.9% |
| 2000 | 1.85 million tonnes | +7.4% |
| 2001 | 1.30 million tonnes | -29.6% |
| 2002 | 2.93 million tonnes | +124.2% |
| 2003 | 2.34 million tonnes | -19.9% |
| 2004 | 2.83 million tonnes | +20.6% |
| 2005 | 2.47 million tonnes | -12.7% |
| 2006 | 3.11 million tonnes | +25.9% |
| 2007 | 3.56 million tonnes | +14.7% |
| 2008 | 2.49 million tonnes | -30.1% |
| 2009 | 2.42 million tonnes | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 3.19 million tonnes | +31.3% |
| 2011 | 4.51 million tonnes | +41.5% |
| 2012 | 5.50 million tonnes | +21.9% |
| 2013 | 5.08 million tonnes | -7.6% |
| 2014 | 5.12 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 4.31 million tonnes | -15.7% |
| 2016 | 8.46 million tonnes | +96.1% |
| 2017 | 5.94 million tonnes | -29.7% |
| 2018 | 5.88 million tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 5.99 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 5.39 million tonnes | -10.1% |
| 2021 | 5.16 million tonnes | -4.2% |
| 2022 | 5.61 million tonnes | +8.6% |
| 2023 | 5.88 million tonnes | +5.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 364,889 tonnes | 86,000 tonnes | 1.04 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 226,500 tonnes | 162,000 tonnes | 449,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 993,000 tonnes | 262,000 tonnes | 3.42 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.10 million tonnes | 1.06 million tonnes | 4.99 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.53 million tonnes | 1.30 million tonnes | 3.56 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.40 million tonnes | 3.19 million tonnes | 8.46 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.51 million tonnes | 5.16 million tonnes | 5.88 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0283 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 186.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.812 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3618 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in South Africa?
- Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in South Africa was 5.88 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 8.46 million tonnes in 2016.
- What is the lowest cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 86,000 tonnes in 1965.
- How does South Africa rank for cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters??
- South Africa ranks 33rd out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa 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.