Cotton yields in Zambia
Zambia: Cotton yields was 0.8751 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ▲ Rising
Cotton yields in Zambia, 1963–2024
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 Zambia stood at 0.8751 tonnes per hectare.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.7% on the previous year and down 9.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cotton yields in Zambia peaked at 1.95 tonnes per hectare in 1966 and was at its lowest, 0.4344 tonnes per hectare, in 1992.
That places Zambia 74th out of 100 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 62 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.07 tonnes per hectare | 0.7017 tonnes per hectare | 1.95 tonnes per hectare | 7 |
| 1970s | 0.6874 tonnes per hectare | 0.4757 tonnes per hectare | 0.975 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6123 tonnes per hectare | 0.4664 tonnes per hectare | 0.8361 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7962 tonnes per hectare | 0.4344 tonnes per hectare | 1.43 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.29 tonnes per hectare | 1.1 tonnes per hectare | 1.88 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9139 tonnes per hectare | 0.8108 tonnes per hectare | 1.26 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8023 tonnes per hectare | 0.6078 tonnes per hectare | 0.9099 tonnes per hectare | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 71 Romania 0.9 tonnes per hectare compare
- 72 Senegal 0.8961 tonnes per hectare compare
- 73 Cote d'Ivoire 0.886 tonnes per hectare compare
- 75 Cuba 0.8629 tonnes per hectare compare
- 76 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0.8333 tonnes per hectare compare
- 77 Costa Rica 0.7851 tonnes per hectare compare
More agriculture & rural data for Zambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.19 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 4.1% (2025)
- Rural population 11.85 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.9% (2025)
- Rural population 54.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.1% (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.1% (2025)
- Land under cereal production 1.56 million hectares (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cotton yields in Zambia?
- Cotton yields in Zambia was 0.8751 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.95 tonnes per hectare in 1966.
- What is the lowest cotton yields recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4344 tonnes per hectare in 1992.
- How does Zambia rank for cotton yields?
- Zambia ranks 74th out of 100 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cotton yields rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.2%. 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 (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 — 62 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.