Land under sorghum production in Africa

Africa: Land under sorghum production was 19.56 million hectares in 2011. ▲ Rising

Latest (2011)
19.56 million hectares
Change on year
down 21.5%
Rank
1st
of 6 groups
All-time high
28.76 million hectares
in 2005
All-time low
12.51 million hectares
in 1979
Years of data
51
1961–2011

Land under sorghum production in Africa, 1961–2011

010.0M20.0M30.0M196119862011

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

In 2011, land under sorghum production in Africa stood at 19.56 million hectares.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 21.5% on the previous year and down 16.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, land under sorghum production in Africa peaked at 28.76 million hectares in 2005 and was at its lowest, 12.51 million hectares, in 1979.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.

Land under sorghum production in Africa, year by year

Annual values for Land under sorghum production (hectares) in Africa, 1961 to 2011.
Year hectares Change
1961 13.21 million hectares
1962 13.32 million hectares +0.8%
1963 13.89 million hectares +4.3%
1964 13.83 million hectares -0.4%
1965 14.38 million hectares +3.9%
1966 13.42 million hectares -6.7%
1967 15.08 million hectares +12.4%
1968 13.34 million hectares -11.5%
1969 17.37 million hectares +30.2%
1970 15.43 million hectares -11.1%
1971 15.13 million hectares -1.9%
1972 12.94 million hectares -14.5%
1973 14.23 million hectares +10.0%
1974 14.40 million hectares +1.2%
1975 13.04 million hectares -9.4%
1976 15.32 million hectares +17.5%
1977 14.05 million hectares -8.3%
1978 14.06 million hectares +0.0%
1979 12.51 million hectares -11.0%
1980 14.14 million hectares +13.1%
1981 13.89 million hectares -1.8%
1982 13.49 million hectares -2.9%
1983 13.81 million hectares +2.4%
1984 15.59 million hectares +12.9%
1985 18.59 million hectares +19.3%
1986 18.89 million hectares +1.6%
1987 17.30 million hectares -8.5%
1988 19.58 million hectares +13.2%
1989 18.04 million hectares -7.9%
1990 16.46 million hectares -8.8%
1991 20.06 million hectares +21.9%
1992 21.58 million hectares +7.6%
1993 21.26 million hectares -1.5%
1994 22.75 million hectares +7.0%
1995 21.62 million hectares -5.0%
1996 23.46 million hectares +8.5%
1997 23.85 million hectares +1.7%
1998 23.40 million hectares -1.9%
1999 21.41 million hectares -8.5%
2000 21.26 million hectares -0.7%
2001 23.51 million hectares +10.6%
2002 22.60 million hectares -3.9%
2003 25.27 million hectares +11.8%
2004 22.13 million hectares -12.4%
2005 28.76 million hectares +30.0%
2006 26.22 million hectares -8.8%
2007 27.00 million hectares +3.0%
2008 27.70 million hectares +2.6%
2009 24.74 million hectares -10.7%
2010 24.93 million hectares +0.8%
2011 19.56 million hectares -21.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 14.21 million hectares 13.21 million hectares 17.37 million hectares 9
1970s 14.11 million hectares 12.51 million hectares 15.43 million hectares 10
1980s 16.33 million hectares 13.49 million hectares 19.58 million hectares 10
1990s 21.58 million hectares 16.46 million hectares 23.85 million hectares 10
2000s 24.92 million hectares 21.26 million hectares 28.76 million hectares 10
2010s 22.25 million hectares 19.56 million hectares 24.93 million hectares 2

Countries ranked near Africa

  1. 1 Sudan 5.61 million hectares compare
  2. 2 Nigeria 4.89 million hectares compare
  3. 3 Niger 2.88 million hectares compare
  4. 4 Ethiopia 2.15 million hectares compare

See the full ranking of 47 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Africa

All data for Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is land under sorghum production in Africa?
Land under sorghum production in Africa was 19.56 million hectares in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.
What is the highest land under sorghum production recorded in Africa?
The highest recorded value was 28.76 million hectares in 2005.
What is the lowest land under sorghum production recorded in Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 12.51 million hectares in 1979.
How does Africa rank for land under sorghum production?
Africa ranks 1st out of 6 groups with data for 2011.
Is land under sorghum production rising or falling in Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site, published as part of Land under sorghum production (hectares). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Land under sorghum production in Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/land-under-sorghum-production-hectares/africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/land-under-sorghum-production-hectares/africa/">Land under sorghum production in Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Land under sorghum production (hectares)
Unit
hectares
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
47 places, 2,346 data points, 1961–2011
Last refreshed

Land under sorghum production refers to harvested area, although some countries report only sown or cultivated area. Production data on relate to crop harvested for dry grain only. Crop harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed, or silage and those used for grazing are excluded.