Land under cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Land under cereal production was 85.37 million hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Land under cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1961–2024
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2024, land under cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 85.37 million hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 28.4% on the previous year and down 20.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land under cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 119.15 million hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, 47.34 million hectares, in 1961.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 16th out of 45 groups with data for 2024, putting it 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 Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 47.34 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 48.44 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1963 | 49.42 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 1964 | 49.54 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 51.22 million hectares | +3.4% |
| 1966 | 49.50 million hectares | -3.4% |
| 1967 | 52.87 million hectares | +6.8% |
| 1968 | 51.76 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 1969 | 57.27 million hectares | +10.7% |
| 1970 | 55.33 million hectares | -3.4% |
| 1971 | 55.63 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 52.57 million hectares | -5.5% |
| 1973 | 54.49 million hectares | +3.6% |
| 1974 | 54.89 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 52.40 million hectares | -4.5% |
| 1976 | 55.62 million hectares | +6.2% |
| 1977 | 53.22 million hectares | -4.3% |
| 1978 | 52.17 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 1979 | 50.53 million hectares | -3.2% |
| 1980 | 52.75 million hectares | +4.4% |
| 1981 | 51.52 million hectares | -2.3% |
| 1982 | 51.43 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 52.93 million hectares | +2.9% |
| 1984 | 55.23 million hectares | +4.4% |
| 1985 | 60.78 million hectares | +10.0% |
| 1986 | 65.25 million hectares | +7.4% |
| 1987 | 63.57 million hectares | -2.6% |
| 1988 | 69.53 million hectares | +9.4% |
| 1989 | 68.88 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 66.83 million hectares | -3.0% |
| 1991 | 71.33 million hectares | +6.7% |
| 1992 | 73.25 million hectares | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 73.09 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 80.83 million hectares | +10.6% |
| 1995 | 77.96 million hectares | -3.6% |
| 1996 | 79.51 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 81.09 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 80.20 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 77.84 million hectares | -2.9% |
| 2000 | 77.02 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 78.76 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 80.32 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 87.58 million hectares | +9.0% |
| 2004 | 82.25 million hectares | -6.1% |
| 2005 | 94.20 million hectares | +14.5% |
| 2006 | 90.56 million hectares | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 91.54 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 96.27 million hectares | +5.2% |
| 2009 | 91.05 million hectares | -5.4% |
| 2010 | 99.62 million hectares | +9.4% |
| 2011 | 99.90 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 97.31 million hectares | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 104.22 million hectares | +7.1% |
| 2014 | 107.78 million hectares | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 102.37 million hectares | -5.0% |
| 2016 | 111.77 million hectares | +9.2% |
| 2017 | 111.15 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 116.55 million hectares | +4.9% |
| 2019 | 112.24 million hectares | -3.7% |
| 2020 | 114.79 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 115.17 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 117.50 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 119.15 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 85.37 million hectares | -28.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 50.82 million hectares | 47.34 million hectares | 57.27 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 53.69 million hectares | 50.53 million hectares | 55.63 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 59.19 million hectares | 51.43 million hectares | 69.53 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.19 million hectares | 66.83 million hectares | 81.09 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 86.95 million hectares | 77.02 million hectares | 96.27 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 106.29 million hectares | 97.31 million hectares | 116.55 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 110.40 million hectares | 85.37 million hectares | 119.15 million hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5534 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1791 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 299.6 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.96 billion current US$ (2025)
- Rural population 731.42 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Rural population 55.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land under cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Land under cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa 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 Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 119.15 million hectares in 2023.
- What is the lowest land under cereal production recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.34 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for land under cereal production?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 16th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is land under cereal production rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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.