Crop yields in Botswana
Botswana: Crop yields was 1.14 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ▼ Falling
Crop yields in Botswana, 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
In 2024, crop yields in Botswana stood at 1.14 tonnes per hectare.
That represents a change of up 13.6% on the previous year and down 14.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, crop yields in Botswana peaked at 2.62 tonnes per hectare in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.6081 tonnes per hectare, in 2019.
Botswana ranks 114th of 126 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Crop yields in Botswana, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.5 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 2.5 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 2.5 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 2.5 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 2.5 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 2.37 tonnes per hectare | -5.3% |
| 1967 | 2.37 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 2.38 tonnes per hectare | +0.7% |
| 1969 | 2.24 tonnes per hectare | -6.2% |
| 1970 | 1.89 tonnes per hectare | -15.3% |
| 1971 | 2.5 tonnes per hectare | +31.9% |
| 1972 | 2.5 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 2.07 tonnes per hectare | -17.3% |
| 1974 | 2.04 tonnes per hectare | -1.5% |
| 1975 | 2.04 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 2.11 tonnes per hectare | +3.6% |
| 1977 | 2 tonnes per hectare | -5.3% |
| 1978 | 2 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 2 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 2 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 2 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 2 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 2 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 2 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 2 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 2 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 2 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 2 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 2 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 2.62 tonnes per hectare | +30.9% |
| 1991 | 2.23 tonnes per hectare | -14.9% |
| 1992 | 2.15 tonnes per hectare | -3.6% |
| 1993 | 2.07 tonnes per hectare | -3.7% |
| 1994 | 1.99 tonnes per hectare | -3.8% |
| 1995 | 1.91 tonnes per hectare | -4.0% |
| 1996 | 1.89 tonnes per hectare | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 1.72 tonnes per hectare | -9.0% |
| 1998 | 1.67 tonnes per hectare | -3.2% |
| 1999 | 1.63 tonnes per hectare | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 1.59 tonnes per hectare | -2.8% |
| 2001 | 1.57 tonnes per hectare | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 1.45 tonnes per hectare | -7.4% |
| 2003 | 1.37 tonnes per hectare | -6.1% |
| 2004 | 1.27 tonnes per hectare | -7.2% |
| 2005 | 1.16 tonnes per hectare | -8.5% |
| 2006 | 1.05 tonnes per hectare | -10.0% |
| 2007 | 0.9 tonnes per hectare | -13.9% |
| 2008 | 0.8 tonnes per hectare | -11.1% |
| 2018 | 1.33 tonnes per hectare | +66.5% |
| 2019 | 0.6081 tonnes per hectare | -54.3% |
| 2020 | 1.36 tonnes per hectare | +123.9% |
| 2021 | 1.5 tonnes per hectare | +10.3% |
| 2022 | 2.2 tonnes per hectare | +46.4% |
| 2023 | 1.01 tonnes per hectare | -54.2% |
| 2024 | 1.14 tonnes per hectare | +13.6% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 1.14 tonnes per hectare is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.8 tonnes per hectare, 41% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 1.14 tonnes per hectare is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.67 tonnes per hectare, 69% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Crop yields in Botswana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +123.9% | 0.6081 tonnes per hectare | 1.36 tonnes per hectare |
| 2018 | +66.5% | 0.8 tonnes per hectare | 1.33 tonnes per hectare |
| 2019 | -54.3% | 1.33 tonnes per hectare | 0.6081 tonnes per hectare |
| 2023 | -54.2% | 2.2 tonnes per hectare | 1.01 tonnes per hectare |
| 2022 | +46.4% | 1.5 tonnes per hectare | 2.2 tonnes per hectare |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.43 tonnes per hectare | 2.24 tonnes per hectare | 2.5 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.11 tonnes per hectare | 1.89 tonnes per hectare | 2.5 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 2 tonnes per hectare | 2 tonnes per hectare | 2 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.99 tonnes per hectare | 1.63 tonnes per hectare | 2.62 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.24 tonnes per hectare | 0.8 tonnes per hectare | 1.59 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.97 tonnes per hectare | 0.6081 tonnes per hectare | 1.33 tonnes per hectare | 2 |
| 2020s | 1.44 tonnes per hectare | 1.01 tonnes per hectare | 2.2 tonnes per hectare | 5 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More agriculture & rural data for Botswana
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0178 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 138.54 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0839 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3204 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.0% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is crop yields in Botswana?
- Crop yields in Botswana was 1.14 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 crop yields recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 2.62 tonnes per hectare in 1990.
- What is the lowest crop yields recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6081 tonnes per hectare in 2019.
- How does Botswana rank for crop yields?
- Botswana ranks 114th out of 126 countries with data for 2024.
- Is crop yields rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana 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 Crop yields. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 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.