Land under cereal production in World
World: Land under cereal production was 415.70 million hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Land under cereal production in World, 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 World stood at 415.70 million hectares. That is the lowest value across all 64 years on record.
That represents a change of down 43.7% on the previous year and down 42.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land under cereal production in World peaked at 738.53 million hectares in 2021 and was at its lowest, 415.70 million hectares, in 2024.
World ranks 1st of 47 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Land under cereal production in World, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 521.56 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 523.87 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 531.65 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 1964 | 539.10 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 1965 | 537.79 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1966 | 542.46 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1967 | 554.84 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1968 | 559.37 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 560.61 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 553.24 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1971 | 565.88 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1972 | 554.74 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 1973 | 571.34 million hectares | +3.0% |
| 1974 | 571.55 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 580.82 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1976 | 591.99 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1977 | 586.25 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1978 | 584.08 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 577.94 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 1980 | 588.11 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 599.48 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1982 | 589.21 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 1983 | 582.71 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 594.89 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 601.65 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 600.49 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 581.73 million hectares | -3.1% |
| 1988 | 586.89 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 599.90 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 597.20 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 593.97 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 702.67 million hectares | +18.3% |
| 1993 | 691.68 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 692.94 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 682.24 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 698.77 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 696.85 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 676.80 million hectares | -2.9% |
| 1999 | 667.58 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 670.88 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 669.84 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 659.88 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 670.99 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 674.89 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 688.47 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 681.33 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 697.45 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 710.67 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 699.80 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 693.85 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 708.45 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 703.80 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 722.08 million hectares | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 724.69 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 720.65 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 731.82 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 723.52 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 720.90 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 718.85 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 736.24 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 738.53 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 731.09 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 738.26 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 415.70 million hectares | -43.7% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Land under cereal production in World 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 | -43.7% | 738.26 million hectares | 415.70 million hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 541.25 million hectares | 521.56 million hectares | 560.61 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 573.78 million hectares | 553.24 million hectares | 591.99 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 592.51 million hectares | 581.73 million hectares | 601.65 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 670.07 million hectares | 593.97 million hectares | 702.67 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 682.42 million hectares | 659.88 million hectares | 710.67 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 716.86 million hectares | 693.85 million hectares | 731.82 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 671.97 million hectares | 415.70 million hectares | 738.53 million hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near World
More agriculture & rural data for World
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0401 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 577.68 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2984 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4217 units per person (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
- Rural population 42.2% (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land under cereal production in World?
- Land under cereal production in World was 415.70 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 World?
- The highest recorded value was 738.53 million hectares in 2021.
- What is the lowest land under cereal production recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 415.70 million hectares in 2024.
- How does World rank for land under cereal production?
- World ranks 1st out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is land under cereal production rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World 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.