Land under cereal production in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Land under cereal production was 11.69 million hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Land under cereal production in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1961–2024
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan recorded 11.69 million hectares for land under cereal production in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 64 years on record.
The figure is down 71.8% on the previous year and down 74.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land under cereal production in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 46.91 million hectares in 2005 and was at its lowest, 11.69 million hectares, in 2024.
That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 38th out of 47 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Land under cereal production in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 32.36 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 33.21 million hectares | +2.6% |
| 1963 | 34.03 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 1964 | 34.40 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1965 | 35.86 million hectares | +4.3% |
| 1966 | 35.30 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1967 | 36.22 million hectares | +2.6% |
| 1968 | 37.78 million hectares | +4.3% |
| 1969 | 37.03 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 1970 | 38.12 million hectares | +2.9% |
| 1971 | 36.19 million hectares | -5.1% |
| 1972 | 38.60 million hectares | +6.7% |
| 1973 | 37.83 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 1974 | 38.44 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1975 | 39.01 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 1976 | 40.20 million hectares | +3.0% |
| 1977 | 38.01 million hectares | -5.5% |
| 1978 | 38.92 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 1979 | 38.61 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1980 | 39.77 million hectares | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 40.26 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 39.53 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 1983 | 40.61 million hectares | +2.7% |
| 1984 | 38.48 million hectares | -5.2% |
| 1985 | 41.92 million hectares | +8.9% |
| 1986 | 41.09 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 1987 | 41.62 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 40.55 million hectares | -2.6% |
| 1989 | 43.21 million hectares | +6.6% |
| 1990 | 45.17 million hectares | +4.5% |
| 1991 | 45.34 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 45.94 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 45.92 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 44.13 million hectares | -3.9% |
| 1995 | 42.52 million hectares | -3.6% |
| 1996 | 46.31 million hectares | +8.9% |
| 1997 | 41.44 million hectares | -10.5% |
| 1998 | 45.82 million hectares | +10.6% |
| 1999 | 40.84 million hectares | -10.9% |
| 2000 | 39.83 million hectares | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 40.50 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 41.02 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 44.88 million hectares | +9.4% |
| 2004 | 45.25 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 46.91 million hectares | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 45.99 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 46.02 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 40.40 million hectares | -12.2% |
| 2009 | 44.86 million hectares | +11.0% |
| 2010 | 44.38 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 44.19 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 44.48 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 45.45 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 45.50 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 42.57 million hectares | -6.4% |
| 2016 | 41.77 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 42.48 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 39.37 million hectares | -7.3% |
| 2019 | 43.65 million hectares | +10.9% |
| 2020 | 45.20 million hectares | +3.5% |
| 2021 | 42.19 million hectares | -6.6% |
| 2022 | 40.46 million hectares | -4.1% |
| 2023 | 41.51 million hectares | +2.6% |
| 2024 | 11.69 million hectares | -71.8% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Land under cereal production in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | -71.8% | 41.51 million hectares | 11.69 million hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 35.13 million hectares | 32.36 million hectares | 37.78 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 38.39 million hectares | 36.19 million hectares | 40.20 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 40.70 million hectares | 38.48 million hectares | 43.21 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 44.34 million hectares | 40.84 million hectares | 46.31 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 43.57 million hectares | 39.83 million hectares | 46.91 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.38 million hectares | 39.37 million hectares | 45.50 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.21 million hectares | 11.69 million hectares | 45.20 million hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
More agriculture & rural data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Rural population, per capita 0.4404 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 6.8% (2025)
- Rural population 364.70 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.2% (2025)
- Rural population 44.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.2% (2023)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 420.06 current US$ per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.86 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0677 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is land under cereal production in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Land under cereal production in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 11.69 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 46.91 million hectares in 2005.
- What is the lowest land under cereal production recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.69 million hectares in 2024.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for land under cereal production?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 38th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is land under cereal production rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 74.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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.