Cotton yields in South Africa
South Africa: Cotton yields was 2.65 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
2.65 tonnes per hectare
Change on year
up 8.2%
World rank
18th
of 101 countries
All-time high
4.07 tonnes per hectare
in 2010
All-time low
0.4615 tonnes per hectare
in 1967
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Cotton yields 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
South Africa recorded 2.65 tonnes per hectare for cotton yields in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.2% on the previous year and down 16.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cotton yields in South Africa peaked at 4.07 tonnes per hectare in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.4615 tonnes per hectare, in 1967.
That places South Africa 18th out of 101 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Cotton yields in South Africa, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.04 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 1.11 tonnes per hectare | +6.0% |
| 1963 | 1.28 tonnes per hectare | +15.4% |
| 1964 | 0.6671 tonnes per hectare | -47.7% |
| 1965 | 1.34 tonnes per hectare | +101.6% |
| 1966 | 0.6325 tonnes per hectare | -53.0% |
| 1967 | 0.4615 tonnes per hectare | -27.0% |
| 1968 | 0.5664 tonnes per hectare | +22.7% |
| 1969 | 0.7648 tonnes per hectare | +35.0% |
| 1970 | 0.5346 tonnes per hectare | -30.1% |
| 1971 | 1.57 tonnes per hectare | +193.2% |
| 1972 | 0.4621 tonnes per hectare | -70.5% |
| 1973 | 0.5341 tonnes per hectare | +15.6% |
| 1974 | 1.15 tonnes per hectare | +115.7% |
| 1975 | 2.25 tonnes per hectare | +95.1% |
| 1976 | 1.45 tonnes per hectare | -35.3% |
| 1977 | 1.41 tonnes per hectare | -2.8% |
| 1978 | 1.62 tonnes per hectare | +14.3% |
| 1979 | 1.45 tonnes per hectare | -10.5% |
| 1980 | 1.4 tonnes per hectare | -3.2% |
| 1981 | 1.27 tonnes per hectare | -9.0% |
| 1982 | 0.8805 tonnes per hectare | -30.9% |
| 1983 | 0.6611 tonnes per hectare | -24.9% |
| 1984 | 0.8541 tonnes per hectare | +29.2% |
| 1985 | 1.08 tonnes per hectare | +26.3% |
| 1986 | 0.9215 tonnes per hectare | -14.5% |
| 1987 | 0.9159 tonnes per hectare | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 1.08 tonnes per hectare | +17.6% |
| 1989 | 1.08 tonnes per hectare | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 1.22 tonnes per hectare | +12.6% |
| 1991 | 1.22 tonnes per hectare | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 1.05 tonnes per hectare | -13.5% |
| 1993 | 0.8625 tonnes per hectare | -18.1% |
| 1994 | 1.01 tonnes per hectare | +17.1% |
| 1995 | 1.18 tonnes per hectare | +16.3% |
| 1996 | 1.26 tonnes per hectare | +7.2% |
| 1997 | 0.851 tonnes per hectare | -32.4% |
| 1998 | 1.1 tonnes per hectare | +28.7% |
| 1999 | 1.3 tonnes per hectare | +18.4% |
| 2000 | 1.36 tonnes per hectare | +5.3% |
| 2001 | 1.62 tonnes per hectare | +18.4% |
| 2002 | 1.21 tonnes per hectare | -24.8% |
| 2003 | 1.82 tonnes per hectare | +50.0% |
| 2004 | 2.01 tonnes per hectare | +10.2% |
| 2005 | 2.49 tonnes per hectare | +23.9% |
| 2006 | 2.17 tonnes per hectare | -12.9% |
| 2007 | 2.77 tonnes per hectare | +27.9% |
| 2008 | 2.87 tonnes per hectare | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 3.33 tonnes per hectare | +16.1% |
| 2010 | 4.07 tonnes per hectare | +22.0% |
| 2011 | 3.53 tonnes per hectare | -13.3% |
| 2012 | 3.47 tonnes per hectare | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 2.06 tonnes per hectare | -40.6% |
| 2014 | 3.17 tonnes per hectare | +53.8% |
| 2015 | 3.29 tonnes per hectare | +3.8% |
| 2016 | 3.87 tonnes per hectare | +17.7% |
| 2017 | 2.35 tonnes per hectare | -39.3% |
| 2018 | 2.75 tonnes per hectare | +17.0% |
| 2019 | 2.99 tonnes per hectare | +8.9% |
| 2020 | 2.62 tonnes per hectare | -12.5% |
| 2021 | 2.52 tonnes per hectare | -3.9% |
| 2022 | 2.3 tonnes per hectare | -8.7% |
| 2023 | 2.45 tonnes per hectare | +6.5% |
| 2024 | 2.65 tonnes per hectare | +8.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 2.65 tonnes per hectare is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.89 tonnes per hectare, 1.4× the median. (30 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 2.65 tonnes per hectare is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.8911 tonnes per hectare, 3.0× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cotton yields in South Africa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | +193.2% | 0.5346 tonnes per hectare | 1.57 tonnes per hectare |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.8735 tonnes per hectare | 0.4615 tonnes per hectare | 1.34 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.24 tonnes per hectare | 0.4621 tonnes per hectare | 2.25 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.01 tonnes per hectare | 0.6611 tonnes per hectare | 1.4 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.1 tonnes per hectare | 0.851 tonnes per hectare | 1.3 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.17 tonnes per hectare | 1.21 tonnes per hectare | 3.33 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.16 tonnes per hectare | 2.06 tonnes per hectare | 4.07 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.51 tonnes per hectare | 2.3 tonnes per hectare | 2.65 tonnes per hectare | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
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 cotton yields in South Africa?
- Cotton yields in South Africa was 2.65 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 4.07 tonnes per hectare in 2010.
- What is the lowest cotton yields recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4615 tonnes per hectare in 1967.
- How does South Africa rank for cotton yields?
- South Africa ranks 18th out of 101 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cotton yields rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.4%. 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 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.