Land under cereal production in Africa Western and Central
Africa Western and Central: Land under cereal production was 45.18 million hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
45.18 million hectares
Change on year
down 24.5%
Rank
29th
of 45 groups
All-time high
59.86 million hectares
in 2023
All-time low
19.92 million hectares
in 1981
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Land under cereal production in Africa Western and Central, 1961–2024
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for land under cereal production in Africa Western and Central is 45.18 million hectares, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 24.5% on the previous year and down 14.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land under cereal production in Africa Western and Central peaked at 59.86 million hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, 19.92 million hectares, in 1981.
Africa Western and Central ranks 29th of 45 groups on this measure, 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 Western and Central, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 22.51 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 23.14 million hectares | +2.8% |
| 1963 | 23.52 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1964 | 23.68 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 24.77 million hectares | +4.6% |
| 1966 | 22.63 million hectares | -8.7% |
| 1967 | 24.02 million hectares | +6.1% |
| 1968 | 23.36 million hectares | -2.7% |
| 1969 | 27.55 million hectares | +17.9% |
| 1970 | 25.65 million hectares | -6.9% |
| 1971 | 25.02 million hectares | -2.5% |
| 1972 | 21.52 million hectares | -14.0% |
| 1973 | 25.19 million hectares | +17.1% |
| 1974 | 24.01 million hectares | -4.7% |
| 1975 | 22.09 million hectares | -8.0% |
| 1976 | 24.06 million hectares | +8.9% |
| 1977 | 22.18 million hectares | -7.8% |
| 1978 | 21.08 million hectares | -5.0% |
| 1979 | 21.02 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 22.01 million hectares | +4.8% |
| 1981 | 19.92 million hectares | -9.5% |
| 1982 | 20.58 million hectares | +3.3% |
| 1983 | 21.37 million hectares | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 23.57 million hectares | +10.3% |
| 1985 | 26.01 million hectares | +10.3% |
| 1986 | 29.39 million hectares | +13.0% |
| 1987 | 29.87 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 31.49 million hectares | +5.4% |
| 1989 | 33.71 million hectares | +7.0% |
| 1990 | 35.32 million hectares | +4.8% |
| 1991 | 37.57 million hectares | +6.4% |
| 1992 | 38.66 million hectares | +2.9% |
| 1993 | 39.27 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 40.62 million hectares | +3.4% |
| 1995 | 41.03 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 39.28 million hectares | -4.3% |
| 1997 | 39.43 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 41.03 million hectares | +4.0% |
| 1999 | 40.76 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 40.15 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2001 | 40.14 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 41.81 million hectares | +4.2% |
| 2003 | 43.09 million hectares | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 41.72 million hectares | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 44.94 million hectares | +7.7% |
| 2006 | 46.89 million hectares | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 47.29 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 49.56 million hectares | +4.8% |
| 2009 | 43.81 million hectares | -11.6% |
| 2010 | 51.10 million hectares | +16.6% |
| 2011 | 48.73 million hectares | -4.6% |
| 2012 | 50.54 million hectares | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 51.72 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 52.67 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 52.85 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 55.68 million hectares | +5.3% |
| 2017 | 56.64 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 58.49 million hectares | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 57.47 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 57.21 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 57.59 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 58.84 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 2023 | 59.86 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 45.18 million hectares | -24.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 23.91 million hectares | 22.51 million hectares | 27.55 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 23.18 million hectares | 21.02 million hectares | 25.65 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 25.79 million hectares | 19.92 million hectares | 33.71 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 39.30 million hectares | 35.32 million hectares | 41.03 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 43.94 million hectares | 40.14 million hectares | 49.56 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.59 million hectares | 48.73 million hectares | 58.49 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.74 million hectares | 45.18 million hectares | 59.86 million hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa Western and Central
- 26 Poland 7.19 million hectares compare
- 27 Tanzania, United Republic of 6.52 million hectares compare
- 28 Mali 6.29 million hectares compare
- 29 Germany 6.06 million hectares compare
- 30 Spain 5.51 million hectares compare
- 31 Romania 5.17 million hectares compare
- 32 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 5.03 million hectares compare
More agriculture & rural data for Africa Western and Central
- Rural population, per capita 0.4652 units per person (2025)
- Rural population 247.88 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.0% (2025)
- Rural population 46.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 4.2% (2023)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 350.89 current US$ per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 11.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2193 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 186.96 billion current US$ (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land under cereal production in Africa Western and Central?
- Land under cereal production in Africa Western and Central was 45.18 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 Western and Central?
- The highest recorded value was 59.86 million hectares in 2023.
- What is the lowest land under cereal production recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.92 million hectares in 1981.
- How does Africa Western and Central rank for land under cereal production?
- Africa Western and Central ranks 29th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is land under cereal production rising or falling in Africa Western and Central?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa Western and Central 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.