Land under cereal production in Zambia
Zambia: Land under cereal production was 1.56 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
1.56 million hectares
Change on year
up 25.5%
World rank
64th
of 181 countries
All-time high
1.57 million hectares
in 2021
All-time low
462,013 hectares
in 2002
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land under cereal production in Zambia, 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 Zambia stood at 1.56 million hectares.
The figure is up 25.5% on the previous year and up 39.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land under cereal production in Zambia peaked at 1.57 million hectares in 2021 and was at its lowest, 462,013 hectares, in 2002.
That places Zambia 64th out of 181 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 Zambia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 932,380 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 934,554 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 957,356 hectares | +2.4% |
| 1964 | 980,145 hectares | +2.4% |
| 1965 | 991,094 hectares | +1.1% |
| 1966 | 1.02 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 1967 | 1.03 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1968 | 1.05 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 1969 | 1.07 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1970 | 1.10 million hectares | +2.6% |
| 1971 | 1.22 million hectares | +10.4% |
| 1972 | 1.37 million hectares | +12.7% |
| 1973 | 1.23 million hectares | -10.6% |
| 1974 | 1.28 million hectares | +4.3% |
| 1975 | 1.23 million hectares | -3.5% |
| 1976 | 1.27 million hectares | +2.9% |
| 1977 | 1.15 million hectares | -9.0% |
| 1978 | 970,400 hectares | -15.9% |
| 1979 | 612,200 hectares | -36.9% |
| 1980 | 627,910 hectares | +2.6% |
| 1981 | 544,245 hectares | -13.3% |
| 1982 | 507,570 hectares | -6.7% |
| 1983 | 595,308 hectares | +17.3% |
| 1984 | 561,740 hectares | -5.6% |
| 1985 | 647,232 hectares | +15.2% |
| 1986 | 683,064 hectares | +5.5% |
| 1987 | 719,168 hectares | +5.3% |
| 1988 | 836,443 hectares | +16.3% |
| 1989 | 1.15 million hectares | +36.9% |
| 1990 | 894,616 hectares | -21.9% |
| 1991 | 745,278 hectares | -16.7% |
| 1992 | 797,784 hectares | +7.0% |
| 1993 | 762,701 hectares | -4.4% |
| 1994 | 838,045 hectares | +9.9% |
| 1995 | 653,791 hectares | -22.0% |
| 1996 | 822,749 hectares | +25.8% |
| 1997 | 804,559 hectares | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 658,526 hectares | -18.2% |
| 1999 | 757,873 hectares | +15.1% |
| 2000 | 718,116 hectares | -5.2% |
| 2001 | 676,958 hectares | -5.7% |
| 2002 | 462,013 hectares | -31.8% |
| 2003 | 790,788 hectares | +71.2% |
| 2004 | 756,300 hectares | -4.4% |
| 2005 | 559,862 hectares | -26.0% |
| 2006 | 747,208 hectares | +33.5% |
| 2007 | 680,421 hectares | -8.9% |
| 2008 | 637,467 hectares | -6.3% |
| 2009 | 1.06 million hectares | +66.3% |
| 2010 | 1.22 million hectares | +14.9% |
| 2011 | 1.23 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 1.19 million hectares | -3.6% |
| 2013 | 1.12 million hectares | -5.7% |
| 2014 | 1.32 million hectares | +17.8% |
| 2015 | 958,286 hectares | -27.2% |
| 2016 | 1.28 million hectares | +33.5% |
| 2017 | 1.56 million hectares | +22.3% |
| 2018 | 1.20 million hectares | -23.3% |
| 2019 | 927,238 hectares | -22.8% |
| 2020 | 1.49 million hectares | +60.3% |
| 2021 | 1.57 million hectares | +5.3% |
| 2022 | 1.24 million hectares | -20.6% |
| 2023 | 1.56 million hectares | +25.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 995,604 hectares | 932,380 hectares | 1.07 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.14 million hectares | 612,200 hectares | 1.37 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 686,786 hectares | 507,570 hectares | 1.15 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 773,592 hectares | 653,791 hectares | 894,616 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 708,950 hectares | 462,013 hectares | 1.06 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.20 million hectares | 927,238 hectares | 1.56 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.46 million hectares | 1.24 million hectares | 1.57 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 61 Serbia 1.77 million hectares compare
- 62 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 1.69 million hectares compare
- 63 Zimbabwe 1.57 million hectares compare
- 65 Paraguay 1.53 million hectares compare
- 66 Uzbekistan 1.48 million hectares compare
- 67 Côte d'Ivoire 1.41 million hectares compare
More agriculture & rural data for Zambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 65.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0411 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 54.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5408 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture share gdp 4.11 (2025)
- Value added in the agricultural sector as of gdp vs gdp per capita 4.11 (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land under cereal production in Zambia?
- Land under cereal production in Zambia was 1.56 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.57 million hectares in 2021.
- What is the lowest land under cereal production recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 462,013 hectares in 2002.
- How does Zambia rank for land under cereal production?
- Zambia ranks 64th out of 181 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land under cereal production rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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.