Land under cereal production in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Land under cereal production was 1.25 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Land under cereal production in Sri Lanka, 1961–2023
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, land under cereal production in Sri Lanka stood at 1.25 million hectares.
That represents a change of up 3.3% on the previous year and down 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land under cereal production in Sri Lanka peaked at 1.28 million hectares in 2015 and was at its lowest, 472,886 hectares, in 1965.
Sri Lanka ranks 72nd of 181 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land under cereal production in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 539,171 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 568,096 hectares | +5.4% |
| 1963 | 582,457 hectares | +2.5% |
| 1964 | 573,881 hectares | -1.5% |
| 1965 | 472,886 hectares | -17.6% |
| 1966 | 583,713 hectares | +23.4% |
| 1967 | 584,108 hectares | +0.1% |
| 1968 | 606,910 hectares | +3.9% |
| 1969 | 582,000 hectares | -4.1% |
| 1970 | 763,084 hectares | +31.1% |
| 1971 | 732,973 hectares | -3.9% |
| 1972 | 682,632 hectares | -6.9% |
| 1973 | 734,307 hectares | +7.6% |
| 1974 | 875,379 hectares | +19.2% |
| 1975 | 691,085 hectares | -21.1% |
| 1976 | 720,940 hectares | +4.3% |
| 1977 | 849,810 hectares | +17.9% |
| 1978 | 901,205 hectares | +6.0% |
| 1979 | 836,292 hectares | -7.2% |
| 1980 | 867,782 hectares | +3.8% |
| 1981 | 889,293 hectares | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 795,759 hectares | -10.5% |
| 1983 | 824,826 hectares | +3.7% |
| 1984 | 937,257 hectares | +13.6% |
| 1985 | 912,657 hectares | -2.6% |
| 1986 | 882,311 hectares | -3.3% |
| 1987 | 726,403 hectares | -17.7% |
| 1988 | 865,221 hectares | +19.1% |
| 1989 | 729,393 hectares | -15.7% |
| 1990 | 869,766 hectares | +19.2% |
| 1991 | 830,505 hectares | -4.5% |
| 1992 | 802,603 hectares | -3.4% |
| 1993 | 862,816 hectares | +7.5% |
| 1994 | 938,132 hectares | +8.7% |
| 1995 | 933,651 hectares | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 697,613 hectares | -25.3% |
| 1997 | 721,837 hectares | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 803,160 hectares | +11.3% |
| 1999 | 906,530 hectares | +12.9% |
| 2000 | 867,548 hectares | -4.3% |
| 2001 | 796,560 hectares | -8.2% |
| 2002 | 848,790 hectares | +6.6% |
| 2003 | 946,340 hectares | +11.5% |
| 2004 | 748,720 hectares | -20.9% |
| 2005 | 950,200 hectares | +26.9% |
| 2006 | 948,663 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 856,543 hectares | -9.7% |
| 2008 | 1.11 million hectares | +29.7% |
| 2009 | 999,340 hectares | -10.0% |
| 2010 | 1.12 million hectares | +12.5% |
| 2011 | 1.15 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 1.13 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 1.26 million hectares | +11.5% |
| 2014 | 955,662 hectares | -24.3% |
| 2015 | 1.28 million hectares | +34.1% |
| 2016 | 1.22 million hectares | -5.2% |
| 2017 | 848,534 hectares | -30.2% |
| 2018 | 1.12 million hectares | +31.8% |
| 2019 | 1.03 million hectares | -8.3% |
| 2020 | 1.15 million hectares | +12.1% |
| 2021 | 1.24 million hectares | +7.9% |
| 2022 | 1.21 million hectares | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 1.25 million hectares | +3.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 565,914 hectares | 472,886 hectares | 606,910 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 778,771 hectares | 682,632 hectares | 901,205 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 843,090 hectares | 726,403 hectares | 937,257 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 836,661 hectares | 697,613 hectares | 938,132 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 907,354 hectares | 748,720 hectares | 1.11 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.11 million hectares | 848,534 hectares | 1.28 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.21 million hectares | 1.15 million hectares | 1.25 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More agriculture & rural data for Sri Lanka
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0836 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 418.3 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9172 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7955 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture share gdp 8.36 (2025)
- Value added in the agricultural sector as of gdp vs gdp per capita 8.36 (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land under cereal production in Sri Lanka?
- Land under cereal production in Sri Lanka was 1.25 million 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 1.28 million hectares in 2015.
- What is the lowest land under cereal production recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 472,886 hectares in 1965.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for land under cereal production?
- Sri Lanka ranks 72nd out of 181 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land under cereal production rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.