Crop yields in USSR
USSR: Crop yields was 1.57 tonnes per hectare in 1991. ▲ Rising
Latest (1991)
1.57 tonnes per hectare
Change on year
down 25.8%
World rank
103rd
of 126 countries
All-time high
2.11 tonnes per hectare
in 1990
All-time low
0.7228 tonnes per hectare
in 1963
Years of data
31
1961–1991
Crop yields in USSR, 1961–1991
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per hectare.
Analysis
The most recent figure for crop yields in USSR is 1.57 tonnes per hectare, measured in 1991.
The figure is down 25.8% on the previous year and up 21.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, crop yields in USSR peaked at 2.11 tonnes per hectare in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.7228 tonnes per hectare, in 1963.
That places USSR 103rd out of 126 countries with data for 1991, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Crop yields in USSR, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.992 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 0.9869 tonnes per hectare | -0.5% |
| 1963 | 0.7228 tonnes per hectare | -26.8% |
| 1964 | 1.03 tonnes per hectare | +42.5% |
| 1965 | 0.7992 tonnes per hectare | -22.4% |
| 1966 | 1.35 tonnes per hectare | +69.0% |
| 1967 | 1.09 tonnes per hectare | -19.6% |
| 1968 | 1.31 tonnes per hectare | +20.3% |
| 1969 | 1.15 tonnes per hectare | -11.8% |
| 1970 | 1.44 tonnes per hectare | +24.8% |
| 1971 | 1.45 tonnes per hectare | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 1.38 tonnes per hectare | -4.7% |
| 1973 | 1.63 tonnes per hectare | +18.2% |
| 1974 | 1.32 tonnes per hectare | -19.1% |
| 1975 | 1 tonnes per hectare | -24.0% |
| 1976 | 1.53 tonnes per hectare | +52.4% |
| 1977 | 1.4 tonnes per hectare | -8.7% |
| 1978 | 1.81 tonnes per hectare | +29.2% |
| 1979 | 1.47 tonnes per hectare | -18.5% |
| 1980 | 1.51 tonnes per hectare | +2.3% |
| 1981 | 1.29 tonnes per hectare | -14.0% |
| 1982 | 1.39 tonnes per hectare | +7.6% |
| 1983 | 1.45 tonnes per hectare | +4.2% |
| 1984 | 1.27 tonnes per hectare | -12.3% |
| 1985 | 1.46 tonnes per hectare | +14.5% |
| 1986 | 1.78 tonnes per hectare | +22.0% |
| 1987 | 1.66 tonnes per hectare | -6.8% |
| 1988 | 1.64 tonnes per hectare | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 1.83 tonnes per hectare | +11.5% |
| 1990 | 2.11 tonnes per hectare | +15.7% |
| 1991 | 1.57 tonnes per hectare | -25.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.05 tonnes per hectare | 0.7228 tonnes per hectare | 1.35 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.44 tonnes per hectare | 1 tonnes per hectare | 1.81 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.53 tonnes per hectare | 1.27 tonnes per hectare | 1.83 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.84 tonnes per hectare | 1.57 tonnes per hectare | 2.11 tonnes per hectare | 2 |
Countries ranked near USSR
More agriculture & rural data for USSR
- Onions and shallots, dry (excluding dehydrated) — Area harvested 16.05 % change on previous year (1991)
- Other vegetables, fresh n.e.c. — Area harvested, annual growth rate 6.94 % change on previous year (1991)
- Other fruits, n.e.c. — Production, annual growth rate -11.63 % change on previous year (1991)
- Other fruits, n.e.c. — Yield, annual growth rate -3.59 % change on previous year (1991)
- Other fruits, n.e.c. — Area harvested, annual growth rate -8.33 % change on previous year (1991)
- Onions and shallots, dry (excluding dehydrated) — Production, annual -1.37 % change on previous year (1991)
- Onions and shallots, dry (excluding dehydrated) — Yield, annual -15.01 % change on previous year (1991)
- Meat of goat, fresh or chilled — Production, annual growth rate -19.74 % change on previous year (1991)
- Meat of goat, fresh or chilled — Producing Animals/Slaughtered -21.05 % change on previous year (1991)
- Meat of sheep, fresh or chilled — Yield/Carcass Weight, annual growth 0 % change on previous year (1991)
Frequently asked questions
- What is crop yields in USSR?
- Crop yields in USSR was 1.57 tonnes per hectare in 1991, 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 USSR?
- The highest recorded value was 2.11 tonnes per hectare in 1990.
- What is the lowest crop yields recorded in USSR?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7228 tonnes per hectare in 1963.
- How does USSR rank for crop yields?
- USSR ranks 103rd out of 126 countries with data for 1991.
- Is crop yields rising or falling in USSR?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this USSR 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 — 31 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.