Land under cereal production in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Land under cereal production was 85.37 million hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
85.37 million hectares
Change on year
down 27.9%
Rank
19th
of 45 groups
All-time high
118.35 million hectares
in 2023
All-time low
48.67 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Land under cereal production in Least developed countries, 1961–2024
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Least developed countries recorded 85.37 million hectares for land under cereal production in 2024.
That represents a change of down 27.9% on the previous year and down 22.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land under cereal production in Least developed countries peaked at 118.35 million hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, 48.67 million hectares, in 1961.
Least developed countries ranks 19th 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 Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 48.67 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 50.42 million hectares | +3.6% |
| 1963 | 51.46 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 1964 | 51.99 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 52.64 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 52.38 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1967 | 54.47 million hectares | +4.0% |
| 1968 | 52.94 million hectares | -2.8% |
| 1969 | 54.79 million hectares | +3.5% |
| 1970 | 55.02 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 54.48 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1972 | 54.29 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 53.16 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 1974 | 54.14 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1975 | 54.66 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 55.56 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1977 | 56.23 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 56.52 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 54.46 million hectares | -3.6% |
| 1980 | 57.05 million hectares | +4.8% |
| 1981 | 58.48 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 57.53 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1983 | 57.98 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 57.43 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 62.42 million hectares | +8.7% |
| 1986 | 63.36 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 60.49 million hectares | -4.5% |
| 1988 | 67.01 million hectares | +10.8% |
| 1989 | 65.88 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 1990 | 64.25 million hectares | -2.5% |
| 1991 | 66.34 million hectares | +3.2% |
| 1992 | 69.71 million hectares | +5.1% |
| 1993 | 68.48 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 1994 | 74.61 million hectares | +9.0% |
| 1995 | 73.11 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 75.30 million hectares | +3.0% |
| 1997 | 76.23 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 76.76 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 76.60 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 74.85 million hectares | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 79.17 million hectares | +5.8% |
| 2002 | 79.39 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 87.44 million hectares | +10.1% |
| 2004 | 81.25 million hectares | -7.1% |
| 2005 | 93.74 million hectares | +15.4% |
| 2006 | 90.48 million hectares | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 91.86 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 97.19 million hectares | +5.8% |
| 2009 | 97.66 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 103.73 million hectares | +6.2% |
| 2011 | 104.24 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 100.84 million hectares | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 107.51 million hectares | +6.6% |
| 2014 | 110.06 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 103.27 million hectares | -6.2% |
| 2016 | 113.02 million hectares | +9.4% |
| 2017 | 110.95 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 116.21 million hectares | +4.7% |
| 2019 | 111.98 million hectares | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 115.22 million hectares | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 115.19 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 117.04 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 118.35 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 85.37 million hectares | -27.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 52.20 million hectares | 48.67 million hectares | 54.79 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 54.85 million hectares | 53.16 million hectares | 56.52 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 60.76 million hectares | 57.05 million hectares | 67.01 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 72.14 million hectares | 64.25 million hectares | 76.76 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 87.30 million hectares | 74.85 million hectares | 97.66 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 108.18 million hectares | 100.84 million hectares | 116.21 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 110.23 million hectares | 85.37 million hectares | 118.35 million hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
- 16 Sudan 11.59 million hectares compare
- 17 Türkiye 11.38 million hectares compare
- 18 Ukraine 10.81 million hectares compare
- 19 Niger 10.33 million hectares compare
- 20 Mexico 8.68 million hectares compare
- 21 Iran, Islamic Republic of 8.66 million hectares compare
- 22 France 8.53 million hectares compare
More agriculture & rural data for Least developed countries
- Rural population, per capita 0.6336 units per person (2025)
- Rural population 769.36 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Rural population 63.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2019)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 3.1% (2023)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 277.75 current US$ per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8.67 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2039 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 337.24 billion current US$ (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land under cereal production in Least developed countries?
- Land under cereal production in Least developed countries was 85.37 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 Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 118.35 million hectares in 2023.
- What is the lowest land under cereal production recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.67 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Least developed countries rank for land under cereal production?
- Least developed countries ranks 19th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is land under cereal production rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Least developed countries 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.