Cotton yields in Nigeria
Nigeria: Cotton yields was 0.3787 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
0.3787 tonnes per hectare
Change on year
down 12.3%
World rank
94th
of 101 countries
All-time high
2.07 tonnes per hectare
in 2011
All-time low
0.0941 tonnes per hectare
in 1984
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Cotton yields in Nigeria, 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, cotton yields in Nigeria stood at 0.3787 tonnes per hectare.
The figure is down 12.3% on the previous year and down 48.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cotton yields in Nigeria peaked at 2.07 tonnes per hectare in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.0941 tonnes per hectare, in 1984.
That places Nigeria 94th out of 101 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Cotton yields in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.5167 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 0.5167 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.4333 tonnes per hectare | -16.1% |
| 1964 | 0.4733 tonnes per hectare | +9.2% |
| 1965 | 0.4633 tonnes per hectare | -2.1% |
| 1966 | 0.4633 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.5267 tonnes per hectare | +13.7% |
| 1968 | 0.2733 tonnes per hectare | -48.1% |
| 1969 | 0.467 tonnes per hectare | +70.9% |
| 1970 | 0.6162 tonnes per hectare | +31.9% |
| 1971 | 0.2782 tonnes per hectare | -54.9% |
| 1972 | 0.2708 tonnes per hectare | -2.7% |
| 1973 | 0.3123 tonnes per hectare | +15.3% |
| 1974 | 0.1658 tonnes per hectare | -46.9% |
| 1975 | 0.2869 tonnes per hectare | +73.0% |
| 1976 | 0.3277 tonnes per hectare | +14.2% |
| 1977 | 0.3497 tonnes per hectare | +6.7% |
| 1978 | 0.1847 tonnes per hectare | -47.2% |
| 1979 | 0.2087 tonnes per hectare | +13.0% |
| 1980 | 0.1801 tonnes per hectare | -13.7% |
| 1981 | 0.1818 tonnes per hectare | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 0.1457 tonnes per hectare | -19.9% |
| 1983 | 0.1463 tonnes per hectare | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 0.0941 tonnes per hectare | -35.7% |
| 1985 | 0.1591 tonnes per hectare | +69.1% |
| 1986 | 0.3509 tonnes per hectare | +120.6% |
| 1987 | 0.4688 tonnes per hectare | +33.6% |
| 1988 | 0.5111 tonnes per hectare | +9.0% |
| 1989 | 0.5297 tonnes per hectare | +3.6% |
| 1990 | 0.48 tonnes per hectare | -9.4% |
| 1991 | 0.4806 tonnes per hectare | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 0.5329 tonnes per hectare | +10.9% |
| 1993 | 0.5304 tonnes per hectare | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 0.5304 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.5824 tonnes per hectare | +9.8% |
| 1996 | 0.666 tonnes per hectare | +14.4% |
| 1997 | 0.8081 tonnes per hectare | +21.3% |
| 1998 | 0.725 tonnes per hectare | -10.3% |
| 1999 | 0.7412 tonnes per hectare | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 0.7416 tonnes per hectare | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 0.7417 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.7005 tonnes per hectare | -5.6% |
| 2003 | 0.7558 tonnes per hectare | +7.9% |
| 2004 | 0.7706 tonnes per hectare | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 0.7906 tonnes per hectare | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 0.8304 tonnes per hectare | +5.0% |
| 2007 | 1.04 tonnes per hectare | +25.1% |
| 2008 | 1.15 tonnes per hectare | +10.9% |
| 2009 | 0.9704 tonnes per hectare | -15.8% |
| 2010 | 1.51 tonnes per hectare | +55.8% |
| 2011 | 2.07 tonnes per hectare | +37.0% |
| 2012 | 0.8892 tonnes per hectare | -57.1% |
| 2013 | 0.6497 tonnes per hectare | -26.9% |
| 2014 | 0.7277 tonnes per hectare | +12.0% |
| 2015 | 0.6913 tonnes per hectare | -5.0% |
| 2016 | 0.8158 tonnes per hectare | +18.0% |
| 2017 | 0.3941 tonnes per hectare | -51.7% |
| 2018 | 0.6185 tonnes per hectare | +56.9% |
| 2019 | 0.4696 tonnes per hectare | -24.1% |
| 2020 | 0.4641 tonnes per hectare | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 0.4751 tonnes per hectare | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 0.4975 tonnes per hectare | +4.7% |
| 2023 | 0.4318 tonnes per hectare | -13.2% |
| 2024 | 0.3787 tonnes per hectare | -12.3% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 0.3787 tonnes per hectare is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.31 tonnes per hectare, 29% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 0.3787 tonnes per hectare is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.8911 tonnes per hectare, 43% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cotton yields in Nigeria 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | +120.6% | 0.1591 tonnes per hectare | 0.3509 tonnes per hectare |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.4593 tonnes per hectare | 0.2733 tonnes per hectare | 0.5267 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.3001 tonnes per hectare | 0.1658 tonnes per hectare | 0.6162 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2768 tonnes per hectare | 0.0941 tonnes per hectare | 0.5297 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.6077 tonnes per hectare | 0.48 tonnes per hectare | 0.8081 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8493 tonnes per hectare | 0.7005 tonnes per hectare | 1.15 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8839 tonnes per hectare | 0.3941 tonnes per hectare | 2.07 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4494 tonnes per hectare | 0.3787 tonnes per hectare | 0.4975 tonnes per hectare | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2298 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 281.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1218 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3622 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cotton yields in Nigeria?
- Cotton yields in Nigeria was 0.3787 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 cotton yields recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 2.07 tonnes per hectare in 2011.
- What is the lowest cotton yields recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0941 tonnes per hectare in 1984.
- How does Nigeria rank for cotton yields?
- Nigeria ranks 94th out of 101 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cotton yields rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 48.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nigeria 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 Cotton yields. 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
Yield is the amount produced per unit of land used, measured in tonnes per hectare.