Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Australia
Australia: Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population was 19.46 million hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
19.46 million hectares
Change on year
up 21.5%
World rank
7th
of 186 countries
All-time high
20.86 million hectares
in 2008
All-time low
8.44 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Australia, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2024, change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Australia stood at 19.46 million hectares.
The figure is up 21.5% on the previous year and up 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Australia peaked at 20.86 million hectares in 2008 and was at its lowest, 8.44 million hectares, in 1961.
That places Australia 7th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Australia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 8.44 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 9.15 million hectares | +8.4% |
| 1963 | 9.19 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1964 | 9.82 million hectares | +6.9% |
| 1965 | 9.85 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 11.50 million hectares | +16.8% |
| 1967 | 11.88 million hectares | +3.3% |
| 1968 | 14.12 million hectares | +18.8% |
| 1969 | 12.78 million hectares | -9.5% |
| 1970 | 10.60 million hectares | -17.1% |
| 1971 | 11.69 million hectares | +10.3% |
| 1972 | 11.56 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 1973 | 12.89 million hectares | +11.6% |
| 1974 | 11.74 million hectares | -8.9% |
| 1975 | 12.56 million hectares | +7.0% |
| 1976 | 12.97 million hectares | +3.2% |
| 1977 | 14.60 million hectares | +12.6% |
| 1978 | 15.04 million hectares | +3.0% |
| 1979 | 15.46 million hectares | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 15.59 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 16.91 million hectares | +8.5% |
| 1982 | 16.20 million hectares | -4.2% |
| 1983 | 18.87 million hectares | +16.5% |
| 1984 | 17.77 million hectares | -5.8% |
| 1985 | 17.17 million hectares | -3.4% |
| 1986 | 15.77 million hectares | -8.1% |
| 1987 | 13.86 million hectares | -12.1% |
| 1988 | 13.44 million hectares | -3.1% |
| 1989 | 13.35 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1990 | 13.43 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 11.79 million hectares | -12.2% |
| 1992 | 13.30 million hectares | +12.8% |
| 1993 | 13.53 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 12.14 million hectares | -10.2% |
| 1995 | 14.57 million hectares | +20.0% |
| 1996 | 16.61 million hectares | +14.0% |
| 1997 | 16.09 million hectares | -3.2% |
| 1998 | 16.64 million hectares | +3.4% |
| 1999 | 16.78 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 17.53 million hectares | +4.5% |
| 2001 | 17.49 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 17.49 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 19.88 million hectares | +13.7% |
| 2004 | 20.33 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 19.11 million hectares | -6.0% |
| 2006 | 18.39 million hectares | -3.8% |
| 2007 | 19.85 million hectares | +7.9% |
| 2008 | 20.86 million hectares | +5.1% |
| 2009 | 20.41 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 19.00 million hectares | -6.9% |
| 2011 | 19.40 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 18.43 million hectares | -5.0% |
| 2013 | 18.17 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 18.15 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 17.24 million hectares | -5.0% |
| 2016 | 18.82 million hectares | +9.1% |
| 2017 | 16.58 million hectares | -11.9% |
| 2018 | 16.49 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 16.47 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 19.61 million hectares | +19.1% |
| 2021 | 19.51 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 18.19 million hectares | -6.8% |
| 2023 | 16.02 million hectares | -11.9% |
| 2024 | 19.46 million hectares | +21.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10.75 million hectares | 8.44 million hectares | 14.12 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 12.91 million hectares | 10.60 million hectares | 15.46 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.89 million hectares | 13.35 million hectares | 18.87 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.49 million hectares | 11.79 million hectares | 16.78 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.13 million hectares | 17.49 million hectares | 20.86 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.88 million hectares | 16.47 million hectares | 19.40 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.56 million hectares | 16.02 million hectares | 19.61 million hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 4 United States of America 54.08 million hectares compare
- 5 Russian Federation 39.58 million hectares compare
- 6 Brazil 27.78 million hectares compare
- 8 Nigeria 18.28 million hectares compare
- 9 Argentina 17.66 million hectares compare
- 10 Kazakhstan 16.06 million hectares compare
More agriculture & rural data for Australia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0227 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,476 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5855 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1228 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Australia?
- Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Australia was 19.46 million hectares 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 in cereal production, yield, land use and population recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 20.86 million hectares in 2008.
- What is the lowest change in cereal production, yield, land use and population recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.44 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Australia rank for change in cereal production, yield, land use and population?
- Australia ranks 7th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is change in cereal production, yield, land use and population rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia 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 in cereal production, yield, land use and population. 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
Cereals include wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains.