Land under cereal production (hectares), per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Land under cereal production (hectares), per square kilometre was 4.98 hectares per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Land under cereal production (hectares), per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in hectares per square kilometre.
Analysis
In 2023, land under cereal production (hectares), per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) stood at 4.98 hectares per square kilometre. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land under cereal production (hectares), per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 4.98 hectares per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.35 hectares per square kilometre, in 1961.
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 26th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land under cereal production (hectares), per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | hectares per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.35 hectares per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 2.41 hectares per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 1963 | 2.45 hectares per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 1964 | 2.46 hectares per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 2.54 hectares per square kilometre | +3.4% |
| 1966 | 2.46 hectares per square kilometre | -3.4% |
| 1967 | 2.63 hectares per square kilometre | +6.8% |
| 1968 | 2.57 hectares per square kilometre | -2.1% |
| 1969 | 2.84 hectares per square kilometre | +10.7% |
| 1970 | 2.75 hectares per square kilometre | -3.4% |
| 1971 | 2.76 hectares per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 2.61 hectares per square kilometre | -5.5% |
| 1973 | 2.71 hectares per square kilometre | +3.6% |
| 1974 | 2.73 hectares per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 2.6 hectares per square kilometre | -4.5% |
| 1976 | 2.76 hectares per square kilometre | +6.2% |
| 1977 | 2.64 hectares per square kilometre | -4.3% |
| 1978 | 2.59 hectares per square kilometre | -2.0% |
| 1979 | 2.51 hectares per square kilometre | -3.2% |
| 1980 | 2.62 hectares per square kilometre | +4.4% |
| 1981 | 2.56 hectares per square kilometre | -2.3% |
| 1982 | 2.55 hectares per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 2.63 hectares per square kilometre | +2.9% |
| 1984 | 2.74 hectares per square kilometre | +4.4% |
| 1985 | 3.02 hectares per square kilometre | +10.0% |
| 1986 | 3.24 hectares per square kilometre | +7.4% |
| 1987 | 3.16 hectares per square kilometre | -2.6% |
| 1988 | 3.45 hectares per square kilometre | +9.4% |
| 1989 | 3.42 hectares per square kilometre | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 3.32 hectares per square kilometre | -3.0% |
| 1991 | 3.54 hectares per square kilometre | +6.7% |
| 1992 | 3.64 hectares per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 3.44 hectares per square kilometre | -5.4% |
| 1994 | 3.81 hectares per square kilometre | +10.6% |
| 1995 | 3.67 hectares per square kilometre | -3.6% |
| 1996 | 3.74 hectares per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 3.82 hectares per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 3.78 hectares per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 3.66 hectares per square kilometre | -2.9% |
| 2000 | 3.63 hectares per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 3.71 hectares per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 3.78 hectares per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 4.12 hectares per square kilometre | +9.0% |
| 2004 | 3.85 hectares per square kilometre | -6.7% |
| 2005 | 4.4 hectares per square kilometre | +14.5% |
| 2006 | 4.23 hectares per square kilometre | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 4.28 hectares per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 4.5 hectares per square kilometre | +5.2% |
| 2009 | 4.26 hectares per square kilometre | -5.4% |
| 2010 | 4.66 hectares per square kilometre | +9.4% |
| 2011 | 4.67 hectares per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 4.07 hectares per square kilometre | -12.8% |
| 2013 | 4.36 hectares per square kilometre | +7.1% |
| 2014 | 4.51 hectares per square kilometre | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 4.28 hectares per square kilometre | -5.0% |
| 2016 | 4.68 hectares per square kilometre | +9.2% |
| 2017 | 4.65 hectares per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 4.88 hectares per square kilometre | +4.8% |
| 2019 | 4.7 hectares per square kilometre | -3.7% |
| 2020 | 4.8 hectares per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 4.82 hectares per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 4.92 hectares per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 4.98 hectares per square kilometre | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.52 hectares per square kilometre | 2.35 hectares per square kilometre | 2.84 hectares per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.67 hectares per square kilometre | 2.51 hectares per square kilometre | 2.76 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.94 hectares per square kilometre | 2.55 hectares per square kilometre | 3.45 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.64 hectares per square kilometre | 3.32 hectares per square kilometre | 3.82 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.08 hectares per square kilometre | 3.63 hectares per square kilometre | 4.5 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.55 hectares per square kilometre | 4.07 hectares per square kilometre | 4.88 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.88 hectares per square kilometre | 4.8 hectares per square kilometre | 4.98 hectares per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- 23 Ukraine 18.35 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 24 Bulgaria 18.24 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 25 Germany 17.34 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 26 Czechia 17.07 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 27 France 16.39 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 28 Gambia 15.92 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 29 Guinea 15.73 hectares per square kilometre compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 17.9% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.71 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population 731.36 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Rural population 55.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5534 units per person (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land under cereal production (hectares), per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Land under cereal production (hectares), per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 4.98 hectares per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest land under cereal production (hectares), per square kilometre recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 4.98 hectares per square kilometre in 2023.
- What is the lowest land under cereal production (hectares), per square kilometre recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.35 hectares per square kilometre in 1961.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for land under cereal production (hectares), per square kilometre?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 26th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is land under cereal production (hectares), per square kilometre rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Land under cereal production (hectares), per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Land under cereal production (hectares) divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Land under cereal production (hectares) ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Land under cereal production FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Land under cereal production (hectares) divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.