Land under cereal production in Eswatini
Eswatini: Land under cereal production was 71,001 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Land under cereal production in Eswatini, 1961–2023
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Eswatini recorded 71,001 hectares for land under cereal production in 2023.
The figure is down 12.2% on the previous year and down 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land under cereal production in Eswatini peaked at 112,262 hectares in 1970 and was at its lowest, 29,045 hectares, in 2016.
That places Eswatini 138th out of 181 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Land under cereal production in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 106,902 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 104,139 hectares | -2.6% |
| 1963 | 84,012 hectares | -19.3% |
| 1964 | 83,290 hectares | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 83,507 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 97,312 hectares | +16.5% |
| 1967 | 103,299 hectares | +6.2% |
| 1968 | 107,470 hectares | +4.0% |
| 1969 | 110,564 hectares | +2.9% |
| 1970 | 112,262 hectares | +1.5% |
| 1971 | 71,851 hectares | -36.0% |
| 1972 | 74,080 hectares | +3.1% |
| 1973 | 82,959 hectares | +12.0% |
| 1974 | 80,018 hectares | -3.5% |
| 1975 | 71,254 hectares | -11.0% |
| 1976 | 72,110 hectares | +1.2% |
| 1977 | 57,209 hectares | -20.7% |
| 1978 | 57,209 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 75,732 hectares | +32.4% |
| 1980 | 75,733 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 58,822 hectares | -22.3% |
| 1982 | 62,007 hectares | +5.4% |
| 1983 | 46,126 hectares | -25.6% |
| 1984 | 85,606 hectares | +85.6% |
| 1985 | 87,228 hectares | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 72,740 hectares | -16.6% |
| 1987 | 80,845 hectares | +11.1% |
| 1988 | 106,843 hectares | +32.2% |
| 1989 | 94,572 hectares | -11.5% |
| 1990 | 85,651 hectares | -9.4% |
| 1991 | 60,053 hectares | -29.9% |
| 1992 | 61,510 hectares | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 61,944 hectares | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 67,516 hectares | +9.0% |
| 1995 | 70,091 hectares | +3.8% |
| 1996 | 68,653 hectares | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 73,022 hectares | +6.4% |
| 1998 | 62,801 hectares | -14.0% |
| 1999 | 76,550 hectares | +21.9% |
| 2000 | 69,743 hectares | -8.9% |
| 2001 | 59,040 hectares | -15.3% |
| 2002 | 69,071 hectares | +17.0% |
| 2003 | 68,881 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 55,664 hectares | -19.2% |
| 2005 | 57,597 hectares | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 48,131 hectares | -16.4% |
| 2007 | 48,518 hectares | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 61,320 hectares | +26.4% |
| 2009 | 59,312 hectares | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 71,689 hectares | +20.9% |
| 2011 | 57,596 hectares | -19.7% |
| 2012 | 62,957 hectares | +9.3% |
| 2013 | 88,796 hectares | +41.0% |
| 2014 | 89,239 hectares | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 67,150 hectares | -24.8% |
| 2016 | 29,045 hectares | -56.7% |
| 2017 | 69,845 hectares | +140.5% |
| 2018 | 90,966 hectares | +30.2% |
| 2019 | 76,328 hectares | -16.1% |
| 2020 | 69,699 hectares | -8.7% |
| 2021 | 70,794 hectares | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 80,867 hectares | +14.2% |
| 2023 | 71,001 hectares | -12.2% |
Eswatini compared with similar countries
- Eswatini's 71,001 hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.15 million hectares, 6% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Eswatini's 71,001 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.49 million hectares, 5% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Land under cereal production in Eswatini 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +140.5% | 29,045 hectares | 69,845 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 97,833 hectares | 83,290 hectares | 110,564 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 75,468 hectares | 57,209 hectares | 112,262 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 77,052 hectares | 46,126 hectares | 106,843 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 68,779 hectares | 60,053 hectares | 85,651 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 59,728 hectares | 48,131 hectares | 69,743 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 70,361 hectares | 29,045 hectares | 90,966 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 73,090 hectares | 69,699 hectares | 80,867 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
More agriculture & rural data for Eswatini
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.08 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0641 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 263.26 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4281 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7328 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 6.2% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land under cereal production in Eswatini?
- Land under cereal production in Eswatini was 71,001 hectares in 2023, 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 Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 112,262 hectares in 1970.
- What is the lowest land under cereal production recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was 29,045 hectares in 2016.
- How does Eswatini rank for land under cereal production?
- Eswatini ranks 138th out of 181 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land under cereal production rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Eswatini 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 — 63 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.