Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Africa
Africa: Cereals, primary — Area harvested was 132.85 million ha in 2024. ▲ Rising
Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
Africa recorded 132.85 million ha for cereals, primary — area harvested in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals, primary — area harvested in Africa peaked at 132.85 million ha in 2024 and was at its lowest, 57.16 million ha, in 1961.
That places Africa 5th out of 29 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Africa, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 57.16 million ha | — |
| 1962 | 58.30 million ha | +2.0% |
| 1963 | 60.68 million ha | +4.1% |
| 1964 | 60.13 million ha | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 61.67 million ha | +2.6% |
| 1966 | 59.57 million ha | -3.4% |
| 1967 | 63.91 million ha | +7.3% |
| 1968 | 63.33 million ha | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 68.43 million ha | +8.1% |
| 1970 | 66.64 million ha | -2.6% |
| 1971 | 66.59 million ha | -0.1% |
| 1972 | 64.23 million ha | -3.5% |
| 1973 | 66.11 million ha | +2.9% |
| 1974 | 66.27 million ha | +0.2% |
| 1975 | 63.75 million ha | -3.8% |
| 1976 | 68.05 million ha | +6.7% |
| 1977 | 64.49 million ha | -5.2% |
| 1978 | 63.72 million ha | -1.2% |
| 1979 | 62.12 million ha | -2.5% |
| 1980 | 64.20 million ha | +3.4% |
| 1981 | 62.50 million ha | -2.6% |
| 1982 | 61.88 million ha | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 64.06 million ha | +3.5% |
| 1984 | 66.28 million ha | +3.5% |
| 1985 | 72.99 million ha | +10.1% |
| 1986 | 76.63 million ha | +5.0% |
| 1987 | 75.41 million ha | -1.6% |
| 1988 | 79.52 million ha | +5.4% |
| 1989 | 80.65 million ha | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 78.93 million ha | -2.1% |
| 1991 | 84.75 million ha | +7.4% |
| 1992 | 86.06 million ha | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 84.44 million ha | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 91.77 million ha | +8.7% |
| 1995 | 88.06 million ha | -4.0% |
| 1996 | 93.94 million ha | +6.7% |
| 1997 | 91.12 million ha | -3.0% |
| 1998 | 93.94 million ha | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 89.43 million ha | -4.8% |
| 2000 | 87.77 million ha | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 90.09 million ha | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 90.62 million ha | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 100.67 million ha | +11.1% |
| 2004 | 95.70 million ha | -4.9% |
| 2005 | 106.84 million ha | +11.6% |
| 2006 | 103.48 million ha | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 103.77 million ha | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 107.43 million ha | +3.5% |
| 2009 | 104.55 million ha | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 111.56 million ha | +6.7% |
| 2011 | 112.69 million ha | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 110.71 million ha | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 117.28 million ha | +5.9% |
| 2014 | 120.11 million ha | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 115.33 million ha | -4.0% |
| 2016 | 123.40 million ha | +7.0% |
| 2017 | 124.88 million ha | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 128.44 million ha | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 124.28 million ha | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 126.79 million ha | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 126.28 million ha | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 128.55 million ha | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 129.54 million ha | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 132.85 million ha | +2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 61.47 million ha | 57.16 million ha | 68.43 million ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 65.20 million ha | 62.12 million ha | 68.05 million ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 70.41 million ha | 61.88 million ha | 80.65 million ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 88.24 million ha | 78.93 million ha | 93.94 million ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 99.09 million ha | 87.77 million ha | 107.43 million ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 118.87 million ha | 110.71 million ha | 128.44 million ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 128.80 million ha | 126.28 million ha | 132.85 million ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa
- 2 USSR 102.82 million ha compare
- 3 China 100.58 million ha compare
- 4 China, mainland 100.29 million ha compare
- 4 Türkiye 11.38 million ha compare
- 5 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 9.00 million ha compare
- 5 Russian Federation 39.58 million ha compare
- 6 Brazil 27.78 million ha compare
- 6 United Republic of Tanzania 8.26 million ha compare
- 7 Viet Nam 7.93 million ha compare
- 7 Australia and New Zealand 19.58 million ha compare
- 8 Australia 19.46 million ha compare
- 8 Democratic Republic of the Congo 5.03 million ha compare
More agriculture & rural data for Africa
- Meat indigenous, total — Gross Production Value (constant 2014-2016) 3.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- Cereals, primary — Gross Production Value (constant 2014-2016) 1.38 % change on previous year (2024)
- Crops — Gross Production Value (constant 2014-2016 thousand I$) 1.64 % change on previous year (2024)
- Food — Gross Production Value (constant 2014-2016 thousand I$) 1.86 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fruit Primary — Gross Production Value (constant 2014-2016 thousand) 1.72 % change on previous year (2024)
- Livestock — Gross Production Value (constant 2014-2016 thousand I$) 2.94 % change on previous year (2024)
- Roots and Tubers, Total — Gross Production Value (constant 2014-2016) 2.21 % change on previous year (2024)
- Vegetables and Fruit Primary — Gross Production Value (constant) 1.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sugar Crops Primary — Gross Production Value (constant 2014-2016) 1.44 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture — Gross Production Value (constant 2014-2016 thousand) 1.96 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereals, primary — area harvested in Africa?
- Cereals, primary — area harvested in Africa was 132.85 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest cereals, primary — area harvested recorded in Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 132.85 million ha in 2024.
- What is the lowest cereals, primary — area harvested recorded in Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 57.16 million ha in 1961.
- How does Africa rank for cereals, primary — area harvested?
- Africa ranks 5th out of 29 groups with data for 2024.
- Is cereals, primary — area harvested rising or falling in Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Cereals, primary — Area harvested. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Crop and livestock statistics are recorded for 278 products, covering the following categories: 1) CROPS PRIMARY: Cereals, Citrus Fruit, Fibre Crops, Fruit, Oil Crops, Oil Crops and Cakes in Oil Equivalent, Pulses, Roots and Tubers, Sugar Crops, Treenuts and Vegetables. Data are expressed in terms of area harvested, production quantity and yield. Cereals: Area and production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed or silage or used for grazing are therefore excluded. 2) CROPS PROCESSED: Beer of barley; Cotton lint; Cottonseed; Margarine, short; Molasses; Oil, coconut (copra); Oil, cottonseed; Oil, groundnut; Oil, linseed; Oil, maize; Oil, olive, virgin; Oil, palm; Oil, palm kernel; Oil, rapeseed; Oil, safflower; Oil, sesame; Oil, soybean; Oil, sunflower; Palm kernels; Sugar Raw Centrifugal; Wine. 3) LIVE ANIMALS: Animals live n.e.s.; Asses; Beehives; Buffaloes; Camelids, other; Camels; Cattle; Chickens; Ducks; Geese and guinea fowls; Goats; Horses; Mules; Pigeons, other birds; Pigs; Rabbits and hares; Rodents, other; Sheep; Turkeys. 4) LIVESTOCK PRIMARY: Beeswax; Eggs (various types); Hides buffalo, fresh; Hides, cattle, fresh; Honey, natural; Meat (ass, bird nes, buffalo, camel, cattle, chicken, duck, game, goat, goose and guinea fowl, horse, mule, Meat nes, meat other camelids, Meat other rodents, pig, rabbit, sheep, turkey); Milk (buffalo, camel, cow, goat, sheep); Offals, nes; Silk-worm cocoons, reelable; Skins (goat, sheep); Snails, not sea; Wool, greasy. 5) LIVESTOCK PROCESSED: Butter (of milk from sheep, goat, buffalo, cow); Cheese (of milk from goat, buffalo, sheep, cow milk); Cheese of skimmed cow milk; Cream fresh; Ghee (cow and buffalo milk); Lard; Milk (dry buttermilk, skimmed condensed, skimmed cow, skimmed dried, skimmed evaporated, whole condensed, whole dried, whole evaporated); Silk raw; Tallow; Whey (condensed and dry); Yoghurt.