Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Zambia
Zambia: Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population was 759,622 hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
759,622 hectares
Change on year
down 51.3%
World rank
90th
of 186 countries
All-time high
1.57 million hectares
in 2021
All-time low
462,013 hectares
in 2002
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Zambia, 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 Zambia is 759,622 hectares, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 51.3% on the previous year and down 42.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Zambia peaked at 1.57 million hectares in 2021 and was at its lowest, 462,013 hectares, in 2002.
Zambia ranks 90th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
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 Zambia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 932,380 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 934,554 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 957,356 hectares | +2.4% |
| 1964 | 980,145 hectares | +2.4% |
| 1965 | 991,094 hectares | +1.1% |
| 1966 | 1.02 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 1967 | 1.03 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1968 | 1.05 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 1969 | 1.07 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1970 | 1.10 million hectares | +2.6% |
| 1971 | 1.22 million hectares | +10.4% |
| 1972 | 1.37 million hectares | +12.7% |
| 1973 | 1.23 million hectares | -10.6% |
| 1974 | 1.28 million hectares | +4.3% |
| 1975 | 1.23 million hectares | -3.5% |
| 1976 | 1.27 million hectares | +2.9% |
| 1977 | 1.15 million hectares | -9.0% |
| 1978 | 970,400 hectares | -15.9% |
| 1979 | 612,200 hectares | -36.9% |
| 1980 | 627,910 hectares | +2.6% |
| 1981 | 544,245 hectares | -13.3% |
| 1982 | 507,570 hectares | -6.7% |
| 1983 | 595,308 hectares | +17.3% |
| 1984 | 561,740 hectares | -5.6% |
| 1985 | 647,232 hectares | +15.2% |
| 1986 | 683,064 hectares | +5.5% |
| 1987 | 719,168 hectares | +5.3% |
| 1988 | 836,443 hectares | +16.3% |
| 1989 | 1.15 million hectares | +36.9% |
| 1990 | 894,616 hectares | -21.9% |
| 1991 | 745,278 hectares | -16.7% |
| 1992 | 797,784 hectares | +7.0% |
| 1993 | 762,701 hectares | -4.4% |
| 1994 | 838,045 hectares | +9.9% |
| 1995 | 653,791 hectares | -22.0% |
| 1996 | 822,749 hectares | +25.8% |
| 1997 | 804,559 hectares | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 658,526 hectares | -18.2% |
| 1999 | 757,873 hectares | +15.1% |
| 2000 | 718,116 hectares | -5.2% |
| 2001 | 676,958 hectares | -5.7% |
| 2002 | 462,013 hectares | -31.8% |
| 2003 | 790,788 hectares | +71.2% |
| 2004 | 756,300 hectares | -4.4% |
| 2005 | 559,862 hectares | -26.0% |
| 2006 | 747,208 hectares | +33.5% |
| 2007 | 680,421 hectares | -8.9% |
| 2008 | 637,467 hectares | -6.3% |
| 2009 | 1.06 million hectares | +66.3% |
| 2010 | 1.22 million hectares | +14.9% |
| 2011 | 1.23 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 1.19 million hectares | -3.6% |
| 2013 | 1.12 million hectares | -5.7% |
| 2014 | 1.32 million hectares | +17.8% |
| 2015 | 958,286 hectares | -27.2% |
| 2016 | 1.28 million hectares | +33.5% |
| 2017 | 1.56 million hectares | +22.3% |
| 2018 | 1.20 million hectares | -23.3% |
| 2019 | 927,238 hectares | -22.8% |
| 2020 | 1.49 million hectares | +60.3% |
| 2021 | 1.57 million hectares | +5.3% |
| 2022 | 1.24 million hectares | -20.6% |
| 2023 | 1.56 million hectares | +25.5% |
| 2024 | 759,622 hectares | -51.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 995,604 hectares | 932,380 hectares | 1.07 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.14 million hectares | 612,200 hectares | 1.37 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 686,786 hectares | 507,570 hectares | 1.15 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 773,592 hectares | 653,791 hectares | 894,616 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 708,950 hectares | 462,013 hectares | 1.06 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.20 million hectares | 927,238 hectares | 1.56 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.32 million hectares | 759,622 hectares | 1.57 million hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More agriculture & rural data for Zambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 65.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0411 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 54.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5408 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Zambia?
- Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Zambia was 759,622 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.57 million hectares in 2021.
- What is the lowest change in cereal production, yield, land use and population recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 462,013 hectares in 2002.
- How does Zambia rank for change in cereal production, yield, land use and population?
- Zambia ranks 90th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is change in cereal production, yield, land use and population rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.3%. 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 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.