Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in South Africa
South Africa: Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population was 3.36 million hectares in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
3.36 million hectares
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
38th
of 186 countries
All-time high
7.50 million hectares
in 1972
All-time low
2.93 million hectares
in 2016
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population 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 hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in South Africa is 3.36 million hectares, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and down 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in South Africa peaked at 7.50 million hectares in 1972 and was at its lowest, 2.93 million hectares, in 2016.
South Africa ranks 38th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in South Africa, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 6.09 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 6.21 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1963 | 6.61 million hectares | +6.5% |
| 1964 | 6.39 million hectares | -3.4% |
| 1965 | 6.41 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 6.12 million hectares | -4.6% |
| 1967 | 6.88 million hectares | +12.4% |
| 1968 | 6.96 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1969 | 6.77 million hectares | -2.7% |
| 1970 | 6.86 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1971 | 7.36 million hectares | +7.4% |
| 1972 | 7.50 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1973 | 6.42 million hectares | -14.4% |
| 1974 | 7.24 million hectares | +12.8% |
| 1975 | 7.12 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 1976 | 7.38 million hectares | +3.8% |
| 1977 | 7.02 million hectares | -4.9% |
| 1978 | 6.80 million hectares | -3.2% |
| 1979 | 6.96 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 6.63 million hectares | -4.7% |
| 1981 | 6.72 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 7.09 million hectares | +5.5% |
| 1983 | 6.95 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 1984 | 7.31 million hectares | +5.2% |
| 1985 | 7.02 million hectares | -4.0% |
| 1986 | 7.36 million hectares | +4.8% |
| 1987 | 7.43 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 7.26 million hectares | -2.2% |
| 1989 | 6.72 million hectares | -7.4% |
| 1990 | 6.16 million hectares | -8.4% |
| 1991 | 5.69 million hectares | -7.7% |
| 1992 | 5.35 million hectares | -5.9% |
| 1993 | 5.93 million hectares | +10.8% |
| 1994 | 6.18 million hectares | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 5.29 million hectares | -14.4% |
| 1996 | 5.49 million hectares | +3.7% |
| 1997 | 5.83 million hectares | +6.3% |
| 1998 | 4.69 million hectares | -19.6% |
| 1999 | 4.59 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 5.26 million hectares | +14.6% |
| 2001 | 4.42 million hectares | -16.0% |
| 2002 | 4.71 million hectares | +6.5% |
| 2003 | 4.66 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 4.33 million hectares | -7.1% |
| 2005 | 4.28 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 3.01 million hectares | -29.7% |
| 2007 | 3.41 million hectares | +13.2% |
| 2008 | 3.78 million hectares | +10.8% |
| 2009 | 3.31 million hectares | -12.4% |
| 2010 | 3.54 million hectares | +7.1% |
| 2011 | 3.22 million hectares | -9.1% |
| 2012 | 3.43 million hectares | +6.6% |
| 2013 | 3.50 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 3.39 million hectares | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 3.76 million hectares | +10.8% |
| 2016 | 2.93 million hectares | -21.9% |
| 2017 | 3.67 million hectares | +25.2% |
| 2018 | 3.35 million hectares | -8.9% |
| 2019 | 3.38 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 3.67 million hectares | +8.5% |
| 2021 | 3.50 million hectares | -4.6% |
| 2022 | 3.40 million hectares | -3.0% |
| 2023 | 3.33 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 2024 | 3.36 million hectares | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.49 million hectares | 6.09 million hectares | 6.96 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 7.07 million hectares | 6.42 million hectares | 7.50 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.05 million hectares | 6.63 million hectares | 7.43 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.52 million hectares | 4.59 million hectares | 6.18 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.12 million hectares | 3.01 million hectares | 5.26 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.42 million hectares | 2.93 million hectares | 3.76 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.45 million hectares | 3.33 million hectares | 3.67 million hectares | 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 change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in South Africa?
- Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in South Africa was 3.36 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 7.50 million hectares in 1972.
- What is the lowest change in cereal production, yield, land use and population recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.93 million hectares in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for change in cereal production, yield, land use and population?
- South Africa ranks 38th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is change in cereal production, yield, land use and population rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 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.