Land under cereal production in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Land under cereal production was 40.19 million hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
40.19 million hectares
Change on year
down 32.2%
Rank
32nd
of 45 groups
All-time high
59.28 million hectares
in 2023
All-time low
24.83 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Land under cereal production in Africa Eastern and Southern, 1961–2024
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2024, land under cereal production in Africa Eastern and Southern stood at 40.19 million hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 32.2% on the previous year and down 27.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land under cereal production in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 59.28 million hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, 24.83 million hectares, in 1961.
That places Africa Eastern and Southern 32nd out of 45 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Land under cereal production in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 24.83 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 25.30 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1963 | 25.90 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 1964 | 25.86 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 26.45 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1966 | 26.87 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1967 | 28.86 million hectares | +7.4% |
| 1968 | 28.40 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1969 | 29.72 million hectares | +4.7% |
| 1970 | 29.68 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 30.61 million hectares | +3.1% |
| 1972 | 31.05 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 1973 | 29.30 million hectares | -5.7% |
| 1974 | 30.88 million hectares | +5.4% |
| 1975 | 30.31 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 1976 | 31.56 million hectares | +4.2% |
| 1977 | 31.04 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 1978 | 31.10 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 29.51 million hectares | -5.1% |
| 1980 | 30.74 million hectares | +4.1% |
| 1981 | 31.60 million hectares | +2.8% |
| 1982 | 30.85 million hectares | -2.4% |
| 1983 | 31.55 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1984 | 31.66 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 34.77 million hectares | +9.8% |
| 1986 | 35.86 million hectares | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 33.70 million hectares | -6.0% |
| 1988 | 38.04 million hectares | +12.9% |
| 1989 | 35.18 million hectares | -7.5% |
| 1990 | 31.50 million hectares | -10.4% |
| 1991 | 33.75 million hectares | +7.1% |
| 1992 | 34.59 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 33.82 million hectares | -2.3% |
| 1994 | 40.21 million hectares | +18.9% |
| 1995 | 36.94 million hectares | -8.2% |
| 1996 | 40.23 million hectares | +8.9% |
| 1997 | 41.65 million hectares | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 39.17 million hectares | -5.9% |
| 1999 | 37.08 million hectares | -5.3% |
| 2000 | 36.86 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 38.62 million hectares | +4.8% |
| 2002 | 38.51 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 44.49 million hectares | +15.5% |
| 2004 | 40.52 million hectares | -8.9% |
| 2005 | 49.26 million hectares | +21.6% |
| 2006 | 43.67 million hectares | -11.3% |
| 2007 | 44.25 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 46.70 million hectares | +5.5% |
| 2009 | 47.23 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 48.52 million hectares | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 51.17 million hectares | +5.5% |
| 2012 | 46.76 million hectares | -8.6% |
| 2013 | 52.50 million hectares | +12.3% |
| 2014 | 55.10 million hectares | +5.0% |
| 2015 | 49.52 million hectares | -10.1% |
| 2016 | 56.09 million hectares | +13.3% |
| 2017 | 54.51 million hectares | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 58.05 million hectares | +6.5% |
| 2019 | 54.77 million hectares | -5.7% |
| 2020 | 57.58 million hectares | +5.1% |
| 2021 | 57.58 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 58.66 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 59.28 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 40.19 million hectares | -32.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 26.91 million hectares | 24.83 million hectares | 29.72 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 30.50 million hectares | 29.30 million hectares | 31.56 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 33.39 million hectares | 30.74 million hectares | 38.04 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 36.89 million hectares | 31.50 million hectares | 41.65 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 43.01 million hectares | 36.86 million hectares | 49.26 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 52.70 million hectares | 46.76 million hectares | 58.05 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.66 million hectares | 40.19 million hectares | 59.28 million hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa Eastern and Southern
- 29 Germany 6.06 million hectares compare
- 30 Spain 5.51 million hectares compare
- 31 Romania 5.17 million hectares compare
- 32 Democratic Republic of Congo 5.03 million hectares compare
- 33 Burkina Faso 4.35 million hectares compare
- 34 Guinea 3.99 million hectares compare
- 35 Cambodia 3.86 million hectares compare
More agriculture & rural data for Africa Eastern and Southern
- Rural population, per capita 0.613 units per person (2025)
- Rural population 483.55 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.8% (2025)
- Rural population 61.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.9% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 265.55 current US$ per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.18 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1542 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 209.47 billion current US$ (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land under cereal production in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Land under cereal production in Africa Eastern and Southern was 40.19 million hectares in 2024, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest land under cereal production recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 59.28 million hectares in 2023.
- What is the lowest land under cereal production recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.83 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for land under cereal production?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 32nd out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is land under cereal production rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa Eastern and Southern data come from?
- The figures come from FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Land under cereal production (hectares). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Land under cereal production refers to harvested area, although some countries report only sown or cultivated area. Cereals include wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains. Production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed, or silage and those used for grazing are excluded.