Cereals, primary — Yield in Zambia
Zambia: Cereals, primary — Yield was 2,318 kg/ha in 2024. ▲ Rising
Cereals, primary — Yield in Zambia, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kg/ha.
Analysis
In 2024, cereals, primary — yield in Zambia stood at 2,318 kg/ha.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 16.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals, primary — yield in Zambia peaked at 3,026 kg/ha in 2015 and was at its lowest, 624.4 kg/ha, in 1970.
Zambia ranks 111th of 178 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Cereals, primary — Yield in Zambia, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 822.2 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | 801.4 kg/ha | -2.5% |
| 1963 | 706.9 kg/ha | -11.8% |
| 1964 | 788.9 kg/ha | +11.6% |
| 1965 | 823.5 kg/ha | +4.4% |
| 1966 | 878 kg/ha | +6.6% |
| 1967 | 869.6 kg/ha | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 785.2 kg/ha | -9.7% |
| 1969 | 774 kg/ha | -1.4% |
| 1970 | 624.4 kg/ha | -19.3% |
| 1971 | 876.3 kg/ha | +40.3% |
| 1972 | 1,007 kg/ha | +14.9% |
| 1973 | 838.7 kg/ha | -16.7% |
| 1974 | 967.7 kg/ha | +15.4% |
| 1975 | 1,311 kg/ha | +35.5% |
| 1976 | 1,376 kg/ha | +4.9% |
| 1977 | 1,505 kg/ha | +9.4% |
| 1978 | 1,515 kg/ha | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 1,529 kg/ha | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 1,568 kg/ha | +2.5% |
| 1981 | 1,931 kg/ha | +23.2% |
| 1982 | 1,572 kg/ha | -18.6% |
| 1983 | 1,651 kg/ha | +5.0% |
| 1984 | 1,646 kg/ha | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 1,843 kg/ha | +11.9% |
| 1986 | 1,931 kg/ha | +4.8% |
| 1987 | 1,610 kg/ha | -16.6% |
| 1988 | 2,457 kg/ha | +52.6% |
| 1989 | 1,717 kg/ha | -30.1% |
| 1990 | 1,352 kg/ha | -21.3% |
| 1991 | 1,641 kg/ha | +21.4% |
| 1992 | 763.1 kg/ha | -53.5% |
| 1993 | 2,303 kg/ha | +201.8% |
| 1994 | 1,418 kg/ha | -38.4% |
| 1995 | 1,331 kg/ha | -6.1% |
| 1996 | 1,912 kg/ha | +43.6% |
| 1997 | 1,413 kg/ha | -26.1% |
| 1998 | 1,211 kg/ha | -14.3% |
| 1999 | 1,324 kg/ha | +9.3% |
| 2000 | 1,682 kg/ha | +27.1% |
| 2001 | 1,404 kg/ha | -16.6% |
| 2002 | 1,630 kg/ha | +16.1% |
| 2003 | 1,721 kg/ha | +5.6% |
| 2004 | 1,825 kg/ha | +6.0% |
| 2005 | 1,905 kg/ha | +4.4% |
| 2006 | 2,146 kg/ha | +12.6% |
| 2007 | 2,259 kg/ha | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 2,188 kg/ha | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 2,072 kg/ha | -5.3% |
| 2010 | 2,541 kg/ha | +22.6% |
| 2011 | 2,745 kg/ha | +8.0% |
| 2012 | 2,709 kg/ha | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 2,596 kg/ha | -4.2% |
| 2014 | 2,775 kg/ha | +6.9% |
| 2015 | 3,026 kg/ha | +9.1% |
| 2016 | 2,432 kg/ha | -19.6% |
| 2017 | 2,490 kg/ha | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 2,168 kg/ha | -12.9% |
| 2019 | 2,400 kg/ha | +10.7% |
| 2020 | 2,482 kg/ha | +3.4% |
| 2021 | 2,525 kg/ha | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 2,457 kg/ha | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 2,344 kg/ha | -4.6% |
| 2024 | 2,318 kg/ha | -1.1% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 2,318 kg/ha is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1,947 kg/ha, 1.2× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 2,318 kg/ha is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,342 kg/ha, 1.7× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cereals, primary — Yield in Zambia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +201.8% | 763.1 kg/ha | 2,303 kg/ha |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 805.52 kg/ha | 706.9 kg/ha | 878 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 1,155 kg/ha | 624.4 kg/ha | 1,529 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,793 kg/ha | 1,568 kg/ha | 2,457 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,467 kg/ha | 763.1 kg/ha | 2,303 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,883 kg/ha | 1,404 kg/ha | 2,259 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,588 kg/ha | 2,168 kg/ha | 3,026 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,425 kg/ha | 2,318 kg/ha | 2,525 kg/ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 108 Brunei Darussalam 2,418 kg/ha compare
- 109 Madagascar 2,393 kg/ha compare
- 110 Afghanistan 2,359 kg/ha compare
- 112 Guatemala 2,238 kg/ha compare
- 113 Djibouti 2,041 kg/ha compare
- 114 Sao Tome and Principe 2,004 kg/ha compare
More agriculture & rural data for Zambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 65.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0411 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 54.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5408 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereals, primary — yield in Zambia?
- Cereals, primary — yield in Zambia was 2,318 kg/ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest cereals, primary — yield recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 3,026 kg/ha in 2015.
- What is the lowest cereals, primary — yield recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 624.4 kg/ha in 1970.
- How does Zambia rank for cereals, primary — yield?
- Zambia ranks 111th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cereals, primary — yield rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Cereals, primary — Yield. 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.