Change of cereal yield and land used for cereal production in South Africa
South Africa: Change of cereal yield and land used for cereal production was 4.56 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
4.56 tonnes per hectare
Change on year
down 20.0%
World rank
54th
of 186 countries
All-time high
5.7 tonnes per hectare
in 2023
All-time low
0.9114 tonnes per hectare
in 1965
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Change of cereal yield and land used for cereal production in South Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per hectare.
Analysis
In 2024, change of cereal yield and land used for cereal production in South Africa stood at 4.56 tonnes per hectare.
The figure is down 20.0% on the previous year and down 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, change of cereal yield and land used for cereal production in South Africa peaked at 5.7 tonnes per hectare in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.9114 tonnes per hectare, in 1965.
That places South Africa 54th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Change of cereal yield and land used for cereal production in South Africa, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.1 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 1.14 tonnes per hectare | +3.9% |
| 1963 | 1.13 tonnes per hectare | -1.2% |
| 1964 | 0.9139 tonnes per hectare | -19.0% |
| 1965 | 0.9114 tonnes per hectare | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 1.01 tonnes per hectare | +10.9% |
| 1967 | 1.73 tonnes per hectare | +70.8% |
| 1968 | 1.01 tonnes per hectare | -41.7% |
| 1969 | 1.04 tonnes per hectare | +3.5% |
| 1970 | 1.19 tonnes per hectare | +14.0% |
| 1971 | 1.5 tonnes per hectare | +26.2% |
| 1972 | 1.59 tonnes per hectare | +6.4% |
| 1973 | 1.01 tonnes per hectare | -36.8% |
| 1974 | 1.88 tonnes per hectare | +86.2% |
| 1975 | 1.62 tonnes per hectare | -13.4% |
| 1976 | 1.39 tonnes per hectare | -14.3% |
| 1977 | 1.75 tonnes per hectare | +25.9% |
| 1978 | 1.88 tonnes per hectare | +7.1% |
| 1979 | 1.61 tonnes per hectare | -14.2% |
| 1980 | 2.02 tonnes per hectare | +25.3% |
| 1981 | 2.68 tonnes per hectare | +32.9% |
| 1982 | 1.66 tonnes per hectare | -38.1% |
| 1983 | 0.9602 tonnes per hectare | -42.1% |
| 1984 | 1.08 tonnes per hectare | +12.9% |
| 1985 | 1.58 tonnes per hectare | +45.4% |
| 1986 | 1.59 tonnes per hectare | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 1.63 tonnes per hectare | +2.5% |
| 1988 | 1.67 tonnes per hectare | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 2.28 tonnes per hectare | +36.5% |
| 1990 | 1.88 tonnes per hectare | -17.7% |
| 1991 | 1.99 tonnes per hectare | +5.8% |
| 1992 | 0.9447 tonnes per hectare | -52.4% |
| 1993 | 2.16 tonnes per hectare | +128.7% |
| 1994 | 2.58 tonnes per hectare | +19.7% |
| 1995 | 1.42 tonnes per hectare | -45.1% |
| 1996 | 2.49 tonnes per hectare | +75.5% |
| 1997 | 2.27 tonnes per hectare | -8.8% |
| 1998 | 2.18 tonnes per hectare | -4.0% |
| 1999 | 2.19 tonnes per hectare | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 2.77 tonnes per hectare | +26.2% |
| 2001 | 2.42 tonnes per hectare | -12.4% |
| 2002 | 2.77 tonnes per hectare | +14.4% |
| 2003 | 2.54 tonnes per hectare | -8.5% |
| 2004 | 2.78 tonnes per hectare | +9.5% |
| 2005 | 3.31 tonnes per hectare | +19.1% |
| 2006 | 3.14 tonnes per hectare | -5.1% |
| 2007 | 2.79 tonnes per hectare | -11.2% |
| 2008 | 4.06 tonnes per hectare | +45.6% |
| 2009 | 4.41 tonnes per hectare | +8.4% |
| 2010 | 4.15 tonnes per hectare | -5.8% |
| 2011 | 4.02 tonnes per hectare | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 4.24 tonnes per hectare | +5.6% |
| 2013 | 4.04 tonnes per hectare | -4.7% |
| 2014 | 4.9 tonnes per hectare | +21.2% |
| 2015 | 3.35 tonnes per hectare | -31.7% |
| 2016 | 3.62 tonnes per hectare | +8.2% |
| 2017 | 5.33 tonnes per hectare | +47.2% |
| 2018 | 4.65 tonnes per hectare | -12.8% |
| 2019 | 4.1 tonnes per hectare | -11.8% |
| 2020 | 5.12 tonnes per hectare | +24.9% |
| 2021 | 5.49 tonnes per hectare | +7.3% |
| 2022 | 5.31 tonnes per hectare | -3.3% |
| 2023 | 5.7 tonnes per hectare | +7.4% |
| 2024 | 4.56 tonnes per hectare | -20.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.11 tonnes per hectare | 0.9114 tonnes per hectare | 1.73 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.54 tonnes per hectare | 1.01 tonnes per hectare | 1.88 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.71 tonnes per hectare | 0.9602 tonnes per hectare | 2.68 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.01 tonnes per hectare | 0.9447 tonnes per hectare | 2.58 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.1 tonnes per hectare | 2.42 tonnes per hectare | 4.41 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.24 tonnes per hectare | 3.35 tonnes per hectare | 5.33 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.24 tonnes per hectare | 4.56 tonnes per hectare | 5.7 tonnes per hectare | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 51 Peru 4.85 tonnes per hectare compare
- 52 Papua New Guinea 4.79 tonnes per hectare compare
- 53 Switzerland 4.58 tonnes per hectare compare
- 55 Dominican Republic 4.46 tonnes per hectare compare
- 56 Suriname 4.45 tonnes per hectare compare
- 57 Colombia 4.42 tonnes per hectare compare
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0283 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 186.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.812 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3618 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is change of cereal yield and land used for cereal production in South Africa?
- Change of cereal yield and land used for cereal production in South Africa was 4.56 tonnes per hectare in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest change of cereal yield and land used for cereal production recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 5.7 tonnes per hectare in 2023.
- What is the lowest change of cereal yield and land used for cereal production recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9114 tonnes per hectare in 1965.
- How does South Africa rank for change of cereal yield and land used for cereal production?
- South Africa ranks 54th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is change of cereal yield and land used for cereal production rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Change of cereal yield and land used for cereal production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in tonnes per hectare.