Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Southern Africa
Southern Africa: Cereals, primary — Area harvested was 3.93 million ha in 2024. ▼ Falling
Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Southern Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
In 2024, cereals, primary — area harvested in Southern Africa stood at 3.93 million ha.
That represents a change of down 2.0% on the previous year and down 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals, primary — area harvested in Southern Africa peaked at 8.15 million ha in 1988 and was at its lowest, 3.44 million ha, in 2016.
Southern Africa ranks 26th of 29 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Cereals, primary — Area harvested in Southern Africa, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 6.74 million ha | — |
| 1962 | 6.72 million ha | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 7.11 million ha | +5.7% |
| 1964 | 6.89 million ha | -3.1% |
| 1965 | 6.93 million ha | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 6.70 million ha | -3.3% |
| 1967 | 7.61 million ha | +13.6% |
| 1968 | 7.62 million ha | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 7.51 million ha | -1.6% |
| 1970 | 7.60 million ha | +1.3% |
| 1971 | 8.12 million ha | +6.9% |
| 1972 | 8.10 million ha | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 7.05 million ha | -12.9% |
| 1974 | 7.94 million ha | +12.6% |
| 1975 | 7.73 million ha | -2.6% |
| 1976 | 8.01 million ha | +3.6% |
| 1977 | 7.61 million ha | -5.0% |
| 1978 | 7.38 million ha | -3.1% |
| 1979 | 7.50 million ha | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 7.30 million ha | -2.7% |
| 1981 | 7.38 million ha | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 7.61 million ha | +3.1% |
| 1983 | 7.45 million ha | -2.1% |
| 1984 | 7.88 million ha | +5.7% |
| 1985 | 7.64 million ha | -3.0% |
| 1986 | 7.94 million ha | +4.0% |
| 1987 | 8.07 million ha | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 8.15 million ha | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 7.52 million ha | -7.7% |
| 1990 | 6.90 million ha | -8.3% |
| 1991 | 6.24 million ha | -9.5% |
| 1992 | 5.84 million ha | -6.4% |
| 1993 | 6.47 million ha | +10.7% |
| 1994 | 7.12 million ha | +10.1% |
| 1995 | 5.93 million ha | -16.7% |
| 1996 | 6.38 million ha | +7.6% |
| 1997 | 6.62 million ha | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 5.26 million ha | -20.6% |
| 1999 | 5.29 million ha | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 5.97 million ha | +12.9% |
| 2001 | 5.08 million ha | -14.9% |
| 2002 | 5.40 million ha | +6.3% |
| 2003 | 5.33 million ha | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 4.97 million ha | -6.8% |
| 2005 | 4.90 million ha | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 3.65 million ha | -25.4% |
| 2007 | 3.95 million ha | +8.1% |
| 2008 | 4.36 million ha | +10.4% |
| 2009 | 4.01 million ha | -8.0% |
| 2010 | 4.23 million ha | +5.5% |
| 2011 | 3.87 million ha | -8.5% |
| 2012 | 4.13 million ha | +6.8% |
| 2013 | 4.01 million ha | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 4.31 million ha | +7.5% |
| 2015 | 4.36 million ha | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 3.44 million ha | -21.2% |
| 2017 | 4.36 million ha | +26.8% |
| 2018 | 4.17 million ha | -4.4% |
| 2019 | 3.70 million ha | -11.2% |
| 2020 | 4.32 million ha | +16.6% |
| 2021 | 4.12 million ha | -4.5% |
| 2022 | 4.05 million ha | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 4.01 million ha | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 3.93 million ha | -2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.09 million ha | 6.70 million ha | 7.62 million ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 7.70 million ha | 7.05 million ha | 8.12 million ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.69 million ha | 7.30 million ha | 8.15 million ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.20 million ha | 5.26 million ha | 7.12 million ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.76 million ha | 3.65 million ha | 5.97 million ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.06 million ha | 3.44 million ha | 4.36 million ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.09 million ha | 3.93 million ha | 4.32 million ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Southern Africa
More agriculture & rural data for Southern Africa
- Meat of pig with the bone, fresh or chilled — Production, annual 3.37 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tomatoes — Production, annual growth rate -3.76 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tomatoes — Yield, annual growth rate -1.32 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tomatoes — Area harvested, annual growth rate -2.47 % change on previous year (2024)
- Swine / pigs — Stocks, annual growth rate -0.1597 % change on previous year (2024)
- Meat of pig with the bone, fresh or chilled — Producing 3.5 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fat of pigs — Producing Animals/Slaughtered, annual growth rate 3.5 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fat of pigs — Production, annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2024)
- Meat of pig with the bone, fresh or chilled — Yield/Carcass Weight 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Oilcrops, Cake Equivalent — Yield 1,026 kg/ha (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereals, primary — area harvested in Southern Africa?
- Cereals, primary — area harvested in Southern Africa was 3.93 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest cereals, primary — area harvested recorded in Southern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 8.15 million ha in 1988.
- What is the lowest cereals, primary — area harvested recorded in Southern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.44 million ha in 2016.
- How does Southern Africa rank for cereals, primary — area harvested?
- Southern Africa ranks 26th out of 29 groups with data for 2024.
- Is cereals, primary — area harvested rising or falling in Southern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Southern 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
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.