Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Australia and New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand: Cereals, primary — Area harvested was 19.58 million ha in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
19.58 million ha
Change on year
up 21.3%
World rank
7th
of 178 countries
All-time high
20.99 million ha
in 2008
All-time low
8.57 million ha
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Australia and New Zealand, 1961–2024

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M196119922024

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.

Analysis

Australia and New Zealand recorded 19.58 million ha for cereals, primary — area harvested in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 21.3% on the previous year and up 7.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, cereals, primary — area harvested in Australia and New Zealand peaked at 20.99 million ha in 2008 and was at its lowest, 8.57 million ha, in 1961.

Australia and New Zealand ranks 7th of 178 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.

Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Australia and New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Australia and New Zealand, 1961 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1961 8.57 million ha
1962 9.28 million ha +8.3%
1963 9.33 million ha +0.6%
1964 9.96 million ha +6.7%
1965 9.98 million ha +0.2%
1966 11.64 million ha +16.7%
1967 12.03 million ha +3.3%
1968 14.33 million ha +19.1%
1969 13.00 million ha -9.3%
1970 10.79 million ha -17.0%
1971 11.90 million ha +10.3%
1972 11.79 million ha -1.0%
1973 13.10 million ha +11.1%
1974 11.94 million ha -8.9%
1975 12.77 million ha +7.0%
1976 13.20 million ha +3.4%
1977 14.82 million ha +12.3%
1978 15.25 million ha +2.9%
1979 15.67 million ha +2.7%
1980 15.78 million ha +0.7%
1981 17.09 million ha +8.3%
1982 16.40 million ha -4.1%
1983 19.07 million ha +16.3%
1984 18.01 million ha -5.6%
1985 17.42 million ha -3.2%
1986 16.04 million ha -7.9%
1987 14.08 million ha -12.2%
1988 13.60 million ha -3.4%
1989 13.50 million ha -0.7%
1990 13.60 million ha +0.7%
1991 11.95 million ha -12.2%
1992 13.44 million ha +12.5%
1993 13.68 million ha +1.8%
1994 12.30 million ha -10.1%
1995 14.70 million ha +19.6%
1996 16.77 million ha +14.1%
1997 16.26 million ha -3.1%
1998 16.78 million ha +3.2%
1999 16.92 million ha +0.8%
2000 17.66 million ha +4.4%
2001 17.64 million ha -0.2%
2002 17.64 million ha +0.0%
2003 20.02 million ha +13.5%
2004 20.45 million ha +2.2%
2005 19.23 million ha -6.0%
2006 18.50 million ha -3.8%
2007 19.96 million ha +7.9%
2008 20.99 million ha +5.2%
2009 20.57 million ha -2.0%
2010 19.13 million ha -7.0%
2011 19.54 million ha +2.1%
2012 18.58 million ha -4.9%
2013 18.31 million ha -1.5%
2014 18.28 million ha -0.1%
2015 17.38 million ha -4.9%
2016 18.95 million ha +9.0%
2017 16.69 million ha -11.9%
2018 16.61 million ha -0.5%
2019 16.59 million ha -0.1%
2020 19.72 million ha +18.8%
2021 19.62 million ha -0.5%
2022 18.30 million ha -6.7%
2023 16.14 million ha -11.8%
2024 19.58 million ha +21.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 10.90 million ha 8.57 million ha 14.33 million ha 9
1970s 13.12 million ha 10.79 million ha 15.67 million ha 10
1980s 16.10 million ha 13.50 million ha 19.07 million ha 10
1990s 14.64 million ha 11.95 million ha 16.92 million ha 10
2000s 19.27 million ha 17.64 million ha 20.99 million ha 10
2010s 18.01 million ha 16.59 million ha 19.54 million ha 10
2020s 18.67 million ha 16.14 million ha 19.72 million ha 5

Countries ranked near Australia and New Zealand

  1. 4 China, mainland 100.29 million ha compare
  2. 4 Türkiye 11.38 million ha compare
  3. 5 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 9.00 million ha compare
  4. 5 Russian Federation 39.58 million ha compare
  5. 6 Brazil 27.78 million ha compare
  6. 6 United Republic of Tanzania 8.26 million ha compare
  7. 7 Viet Nam 7.93 million ha compare
  8. 8 Australia 19.46 million ha compare
  9. 8 Democratic Republic of the Congo 5.03 million ha compare
  10. 9 Nigeria 18.28 million ha compare
  11. 9 Syrian Arab Republic 2.70 million ha compare
  12. 10 Argentina 17.66 million ha compare
  13. 10 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 1.69 million ha compare

See the full ranking of 226 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Australia and New Zealand

All data for Australia and New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is cereals, primary — area harvested in Australia and New Zealand?
Cereals, primary — area harvested in Australia and New Zealand was 19.58 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest cereals, primary — area harvested recorded in Australia and New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 20.99 million ha in 2008.
What is the lowest cereals, primary — area harvested recorded in Australia and New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 8.57 million ha in 1961.
How does Australia and New Zealand rank for cereals, primary — area harvested?
Australia and New Zealand ranks 7th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
Is cereals, primary — area harvested rising or falling in Australia and New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Australia and New Zealand 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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Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Australia and New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/cereals-primary-area-harvested/australia-and-new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Cereals, primary — Area harvested
Unit
ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
226 places, 12,898 data points, 1961–2024
Last refreshed

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.