Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Nigeria
Nigeria: Cereals, primary — Area harvested was 18.28 million ha in 2024. ▲ Rising
Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Nigeria, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cereals, primary — area harvested in Nigeria is 18.28 million ha, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals, primary — area harvested in Nigeria peaked at 19.41 million ha in 2007 and was at its lowest, 4.86 million ha, in 1981.
That places Nigeria 9th out of 178 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 10.62 million ha | — |
| 1962 | 10.63 million ha | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 10.74 million ha | +1.0% |
| 1964 | 11.29 million ha | +5.1% |
| 1965 | 12.24 million ha | +8.4% |
| 1966 | 10.10 million ha | -17.5% |
| 1967 | 10.63 million ha | +5.3% |
| 1968 | 11.04 million ha | +3.8% |
| 1969 | 14.40 million ha | +30.4% |
| 1970 | 12.42 million ha | -13.7% |
| 1971 | 11.74 million ha | -5.5% |
| 1972 | 8.87 million ha | -24.4% |
| 1973 | 12.50 million ha | +41.0% |
| 1974 | 10.32 million ha | -17.4% |
| 1975 | 8.63 million ha | -16.4% |
| 1976 | 9.87 million ha | +14.4% |
| 1977 | 7.46 million ha | -24.4% |
| 1978 | 6.55 million ha | -12.1% |
| 1979 | 6.11 million ha | -6.7% |
| 1980 | 7.17 million ha | +17.2% |
| 1981 | 4.86 million ha | -32.1% |
| 1982 | 5.19 million ha | +6.6% |
| 1983 | 5.79 million ha | +11.6% |
| 1984 | 8.29 million ha | +43.4% |
| 1985 | 9.53 million ha | +14.9% |
| 1986 | 12.68 million ha | +33.0% |
| 1987 | 13.23 million ha | +4.4% |
| 1988 | 12.69 million ha | -4.1% |
| 1989 | 14.37 million ha | +13.3% |
| 1990 | 15.40 million ha | +7.1% |
| 1991 | 17.01 million ha | +10.5% |
| 1992 | 16.84 million ha | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 17.42 million ha | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 17.99 million ha | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 18.60 million ha | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 17.75 million ha | -4.5% |
| 1997 | 18.48 million ha | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 18.34 million ha | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 18.08 million ha | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 18.24 million ha | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 16.29 million ha | -10.7% |
| 2002 | 17.03 million ha | +4.5% |
| 2003 | 17.37 million ha | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 17.72 million ha | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 18.31 million ha | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 19.15 million ha | +4.6% |
| 2007 | 19.41 million ha | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 18.90 million ha | -2.6% |
| 2009 | 13.89 million ha | -26.5% |
| 2010 | 16.13 million ha | +16.1% |
| 2011 | 15.51 million ha | -3.8% |
| 2012 | 15.32 million ha | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 15.89 million ha | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 16.96 million ha | +6.8% |
| 2015 | 17.07 million ha | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 17.24 million ha | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 17.99 million ha | +4.4% |
| 2018 | 18.20 million ha | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 18.28 million ha | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 18.03 million ha | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 18.41 million ha | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 18.27 million ha | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 18.11 million ha | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 18.28 million ha | +0.9% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 18.28 million ha is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 777,524 ha, 23.5× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 18.28 million ha is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.26 million ha, 14.5× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Nigeria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | +43.4% | 5.79 million ha | 8.29 million ha |
| 1973 | +41.0% | 8.87 million ha | 12.50 million ha |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 11.30 million ha | 10.10 million ha | 14.40 million ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 9.45 million ha | 6.11 million ha | 12.50 million ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.38 million ha | 4.86 million ha | 14.37 million ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.59 million ha | 15.40 million ha | 18.60 million ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.63 million ha | 13.89 million ha | 19.41 million ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.86 million ha | 15.32 million ha | 18.28 million ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.22 million ha | 18.03 million ha | 18.41 million ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 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
- 9 Syrian Arab Republic 2.70 million ha compare
- 10 Argentina 17.66 million ha compare
- 10 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 1.69 million ha compare
- 11 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 1.35 million ha compare
- 11 Kazakhstan 16.06 million ha compare
- 12 Canada 15.83 million ha 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, primary — area harvested in Nigeria?
- Cereals, primary — area harvested in Nigeria was 18.28 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest cereals, primary — area harvested recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 19.41 million ha in 2007.
- What is the lowest cereals, primary — area harvested recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.86 million ha in 1981.
- How does Nigeria rank for cereals, primary — area harvested?
- Nigeria ranks 9th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cereals, primary — area harvested rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.