Cereals, primary — Area harvested, per square kilometre in South Africa
South Africa: Cereals, primary — Area harvested, per square kilometre was 2.75 ha per square kilometre in 2023. ▼ Falling
Cereals, primary — Area harvested, per square kilometre in South Africa, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in ha per square kilometre.
Analysis
In 2023, cereals, primary — area harvested, per square kilometre in South Africa stood at 2.75 ha per square kilometre.
That represents a change of down 1.8% on the previous year and down 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals, primary — area harvested, per square kilometre in South Africa peaked at 6.18 ha per square kilometre in 1972 and was at its lowest, 2.42 ha per square kilometre, in 2016.
That places South Africa 95th out of 159 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Cereals, primary — Area harvested, per square kilometre in South Africa, year by year
| Year | ha per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 5.02 ha per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 5.12 ha per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 1963 | 5.45 ha per square kilometre | +6.5% |
| 1964 | 5.27 ha per square kilometre | -3.4% |
| 1965 | 5.29 ha per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 5.05 ha per square kilometre | -4.6% |
| 1967 | 5.67 ha per square kilometre | +12.4% |
| 1968 | 5.74 ha per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1969 | 5.58 ha per square kilometre | -2.7% |
| 1970 | 5.65 ha per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1971 | 6.07 ha per square kilometre | +7.4% |
| 1972 | 6.18 ha per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 1973 | 5.29 ha per square kilometre | -14.4% |
| 1974 | 5.97 ha per square kilometre | +12.8% |
| 1975 | 5.87 ha per square kilometre | -1.7% |
| 1976 | 6.09 ha per square kilometre | +3.8% |
| 1977 | 5.79 ha per square kilometre | -4.9% |
| 1978 | 5.6 ha per square kilometre | -3.2% |
| 1979 | 5.74 ha per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 5.47 ha per square kilometre | -4.7% |
| 1981 | 5.54 ha per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 5.84 ha per square kilometre | +5.5% |
| 1983 | 5.73 ha per square kilometre | -1.9% |
| 1984 | 6.03 ha per square kilometre | +5.2% |
| 1985 | 5.79 ha per square kilometre | -4.0% |
| 1986 | 6.06 ha per square kilometre | +4.8% |
| 1987 | 6.12 ha per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 5.99 ha per square kilometre | -2.2% |
| 1989 | 5.54 ha per square kilometre | -7.4% |
| 1990 | 5.08 ha per square kilometre | -8.4% |
| 1991 | 4.69 ha per square kilometre | -7.7% |
| 1992 | 4.41 ha per square kilometre | -5.9% |
| 1993 | 4.89 ha per square kilometre | +10.8% |
| 1994 | 5.1 ha per square kilometre | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 4.36 ha per square kilometre | -14.4% |
| 1996 | 4.53 ha per square kilometre | +3.7% |
| 1997 | 4.81 ha per square kilometre | +6.3% |
| 1998 | 3.87 ha per square kilometre | -19.6% |
| 1999 | 3.78 ha per square kilometre | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 4.34 ha per square kilometre | +14.6% |
| 2001 | 3.64 ha per square kilometre | -16.0% |
| 2002 | 3.88 ha per square kilometre | +6.5% |
| 2003 | 3.84 ha per square kilometre | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 3.57 ha per square kilometre | -7.1% |
| 2005 | 3.53 ha per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 2.48 ha per square kilometre | -29.7% |
| 2007 | 2.81 ha per square kilometre | +13.2% |
| 2008 | 3.11 ha per square kilometre | +10.8% |
| 2009 | 2.73 ha per square kilometre | -12.4% |
| 2010 | 2.92 ha per square kilometre | +7.1% |
| 2011 | 2.65 ha per square kilometre | -9.1% |
| 2012 | 2.83 ha per square kilometre | +6.6% |
| 2013 | 2.89 ha per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 2.8 ha per square kilometre | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 3.1 ha per square kilometre | +10.8% |
| 2016 | 2.42 ha per square kilometre | -21.9% |
| 2017 | 3.03 ha per square kilometre | +25.2% |
| 2018 | 2.76 ha per square kilometre | -8.9% |
| 2019 | 2.79 ha per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 3.02 ha per square kilometre | +8.5% |
| 2021 | 2.89 ha per square kilometre | -4.6% |
| 2022 | 2.8 ha per square kilometre | -3.0% |
| 2023 | 2.75 ha per square kilometre | -1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.35 ha per square kilometre | 5.02 ha per square kilometre | 5.74 ha per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 5.82 ha per square kilometre | 5.29 ha per square kilometre | 6.18 ha per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.81 ha per square kilometre | 5.47 ha per square kilometre | 6.12 ha per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.55 ha per square kilometre | 3.78 ha per square kilometre | 5.1 ha per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.39 ha per square kilometre | 2.48 ha per square kilometre | 4.34 ha per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.82 ha per square kilometre | 2.42 ha per square kilometre | 3.1 ha per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.86 ha per square kilometre | 2.75 ha per square kilometre | 3.02 ha per square kilometre | 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, primary — area harvested, per square kilometre in South Africa?
- Cereals, primary — area harvested, per square kilometre in South Africa was 2.75 ha per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest cereals, primary — area harvested, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 6.18 ha per square kilometre in 1972.
- What is the lowest cereals, primary — area harvested, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.42 ha per square kilometre in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for cereals, primary — area harvested, per square kilometre?
- South Africa ranks 95th out of 159 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cereals, primary — area harvested, per square kilometre rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Cereals, primary — Area harvested, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Cereals, primary — Area harvested divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Cereals, primary — Area harvested ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Cereals, primary — Area harvested Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Cereals, primary — Area harvested divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.