Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Northern Africa

Northern Africa: Cereals, primary — Area harvested was 21.16 million ha in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
21.16 million ha
Change on year
up 8.5%
Rank
18th
of 29 groups
All-time high
24.98 million ha
in 2005
All-time low
11.66 million ha
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Northern Africa, 1961–2024

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M25.0M196119922024

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

Analysis

In 2024, cereals, primary — area harvested in Northern Africa stood at 21.16 million ha.

The figure is up 8.5% on the previous year and down 12.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, cereals, primary — area harvested in Northern Africa peaked at 24.98 million ha in 2005 and was at its lowest, 11.66 million ha, in 1961.

That places Northern Africa 18th out of 29 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Northern Africa, year by year

Annual values for Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Northern Africa, 1961 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1961 11.66 million ha
1962 11.84 million ha +1.6%
1963 13.30 million ha +12.3%
1964 12.58 million ha -5.4%
1965 12.47 million ha -0.9%
1966 12.02 million ha -3.6%
1967 13.73 million ha +14.2%
1968 13.43 million ha -2.2%
1969 13.65 million ha +1.7%
1970 14.27 million ha +4.5%
1971 13.88 million ha -2.7%
1972 14.63 million ha +5.3%
1973 15.21 million ha +4.0%
1974 15.07 million ha -0.9%
1975 15.48 million ha +2.7%
1976 16.76 million ha +8.3%
1977 15.78 million ha -5.9%
1978 16.07 million ha +1.9%
1979 15.24 million ha -5.2%
1980 15.74 million ha +3.3%
1981 16.39 million ha +4.1%
1982 15.21 million ha -7.2%
1983 16.25 million ha +6.8%
1984 16.03 million ha -1.3%
1985 19.55 million ha +21.9%
1986 18.09 million ha -7.5%
1987 16.50 million ha -8.8%
1988 18.15 million ha +10.0%
1989 17.35 million ha -4.4%
1990 15.84 million ha -8.7%
1991 20.23 million ha +27.7%
1992 21.06 million ha +4.1%
1993 17.51 million ha -16.9%
1994 21.06 million ha +20.3%
1995 17.88 million ha -15.1%
1996 23.00 million ha +28.7%
1997 19.81 million ha -13.9%
1998 23.13 million ha +16.8%
1999 18.73 million ha -19.1%
2000 17.20 million ha -8.1%
2001 19.85 million ha +15.4%
2002 17.92 million ha -9.7%
2003 22.99 million ha +28.3%
2004 18.80 million ha -18.3%
2005 24.98 million ha +32.9%
2006 21.92 million ha -12.2%
2007 21.40 million ha -2.4%
2008 20.45 million ha -4.4%
2009 22.96 million ha +12.2%
2010 19.82 million ha -13.7%
2011 22.72 million ha +14.6%
2012 19.02 million ha -16.3%
2013 23.08 million ha +21.4%
2014 24.14 million ha +4.6%
2015 20.17 million ha -16.5%
2016 24.14 million ha +19.7%
2017 22.93 million ha -5.0%
2018 24.01 million ha +4.7%
2019 22.22 million ha -7.4%
2020 21.56 million ha -3.0%
2021 21.08 million ha -2.2%
2022 21.94 million ha +4.1%
2023 19.50 million ha -11.1%
2024 21.16 million ha +8.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 12.74 million ha 11.66 million ha 13.73 million ha 9
1970s 15.24 million ha 13.88 million ha 16.76 million ha 10
1980s 16.93 million ha 15.21 million ha 19.55 million ha 10
1990s 19.82 million ha 15.84 million ha 23.13 million ha 10
2000s 20.85 million ha 17.20 million ha 24.98 million ha 10
2010s 22.23 million ha 19.02 million ha 24.14 million ha 10
2020s 21.05 million ha 19.50 million ha 21.94 million ha 5

Countries ranked near Northern Africa

  1. 15 Thailand 12.53 million ha compare
  2. 16 Bangladesh 12.27 million ha compare
  3. 17 Ethiopia 12.07 million ha compare
  4. 18 Sudan 11.59 million ha compare
  5. 19 Ukraine 10.81 million ha compare
  6. 20 Niger 10.33 million ha compare
  7. 21 Sudan (former) 9.93 million ha compare

See the full ranking of 226 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Northern Africa

All data for Northern Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is cereals, primary — area harvested in Northern Africa?
Cereals, primary — area harvested in Northern Africa was 21.16 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest cereals, primary — area harvested recorded in Northern Africa?
The highest recorded value was 24.98 million ha in 2005.
What is the lowest cereals, primary — area harvested recorded in Northern Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 11.66 million ha in 1961.
How does Northern Africa rank for cereals, primary — area harvested?
Northern Africa ranks 18th out of 29 groups with data for 2024.
Is cereals, primary — area harvested rising or falling in Northern Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Northern 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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Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Northern Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/cereals-primary-area-harvested/northern-africa/

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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.