Cereals, primary — Area harvested in World
World: Cereals, primary — Area harvested was 744.98 million ha in 2024. ▲ Rising
Cereals, primary — Area harvested in World, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
In 2024, cereals, primary — area harvested in World stood at 744.98 million ha. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals, primary — area harvested in World peaked at 744.98 million ha in 2024 and was at its lowest, 648.00 million ha, in 1961.
World ranks 1st of 29 groups 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 World, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 648.00 million ha | — |
| 1962 | 653.84 million ha | +0.9% |
| 1963 | 659.23 million ha | +0.8% |
| 1964 | 670.23 million ha | +1.7% |
| 1965 | 667.20 million ha | -0.5% |
| 1966 | 669.68 million ha | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 679.89 million ha | +1.5% |
| 1968 | 684.21 million ha | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 685.28 million ha | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 675.46 million ha | -1.4% |
| 1971 | 686.87 million ha | +1.7% |
| 1972 | 677.27 million ha | -1.4% |
| 1973 | 699.34 million ha | +3.3% |
| 1974 | 700.90 million ha | +0.2% |
| 1975 | 710.95 million ha | +1.4% |
| 1976 | 722.49 million ha | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 719.09 million ha | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 714.99 million ha | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 706.55 million ha | -1.2% |
| 1980 | 717.20 million ha | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 726.55 million ha | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 714.36 million ha | -1.7% |
| 1983 | 704.73 million ha | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 714.98 million ha | +1.5% |
| 1985 | 720.19 million ha | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 717.35 million ha | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 697.53 million ha | -2.8% |
| 1988 | 702.30 million ha | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 711.77 million ha | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 708.07 million ha | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 703.61 million ha | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 707.88 million ha | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 694.15 million ha | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 695.57 million ha | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 684.74 million ha | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 701.29 million ha | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 699.44 million ha | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 679.63 million ha | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 669.77 million ha | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 672.76 million ha | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 672.03 million ha | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 661.80 million ha | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 673.03 million ha | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 677.01 million ha | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 690.24 million ha | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 681.31 million ha | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 697.03 million ha | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 710.69 million ha | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 699.39 million ha | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 693.82 million ha | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 708.15 million ha | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 704.10 million ha | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 722.20 million ha | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 725.62 million ha | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 720.96 million ha | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 730.90 million ha | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 723.24 million ha | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 720.85 million ha | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 719.12 million ha | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 735.63 million ha | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 737.11 million ha | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 730.28 million ha | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 739.38 million ha | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 744.98 million ha | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 668.62 million ha | 648.00 million ha | 685.28 million ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 701.39 million ha | 675.46 million ha | 722.49 million ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 712.70 million ha | 697.53 million ha | 726.55 million ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 694.42 million ha | 669.77 million ha | 708.07 million ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 683.53 million ha | 661.80 million ha | 710.69 million ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 716.90 million ha | 693.82 million ha | 730.90 million ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 737.47 million ha | 730.28 million ha | 744.98 million ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near World
More agriculture & rural data for World
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0401 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 577.68 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2984 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4217 units per person (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
- Rural population 42.2% (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereals, primary — area harvested in World?
- Cereals, primary — area harvested in World was 744.98 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest cereals, primary — area harvested recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 744.98 million ha in 2024.
- What is the lowest cereals, primary — area harvested recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 648.00 million ha in 1961.
- How does World rank for cereals, primary — area harvested?
- World ranks 1st out of 29 groups with data for 2024.
- Is cereals, primary — area harvested rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World 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
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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.