What is land under sorghum production in Sub-Saharan Africa?

Land under sorghum production in Sub-Saharan Africa was 19.38 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 Sub-Saharan Africa?

The highest recorded value was 28.59 million hectares in 2005.

What is the lowest land under sorghum production recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?

The lowest recorded value was 12.26 million hectares in 1979.

How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for land under sorghum production?

Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd out of 6 groups with data for 2011.

Is land under sorghum production rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?

Over the last ten years it is down 17.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Sub-Saharan 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.

Land under sorghum production in Sub-Saharan Africa

Name: Land under sorghum production in Sub-Saharan Africa
Creator: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

Sub-Saharan Africa: Land under sorghum production was 19.38 million hectares in 2011. ▲ Rising

Latest (2011)

19.38 million hectares

Change on year

down 21.8%

Rank

2nd

of 6 groups

All-time high

28.59 million hectares

in 2005

All-time low

12.26 million hectares

in 1979

Years of data

1961–2011

Land under sorghum production in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1961–2011

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

Analysis

Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 19.38 million hectares for land under sorghum production in 2011.

The figure is down 21.8% on the previous year and down 17.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, land under sorghum production in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 28.59 million hectares in 2005 and was at its lowest, 12.26 million hectares, in 1979.

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

Land under sorghum production in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year

Annual values for Land under sorghum production (hectares) in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1961 to 2011.
Year	hectares	Change
1961	12.90 million hectares	—
1962	12.99 million hectares	+0.7%
1963	13.51 million hectares	+4.0%
1964	13.49 million hectares	-0.2%
1965	14.07 million hectares	+4.3%
1966	13.10 million hectares	-6.9%
1967	14.76 million hectares	+12.7%
1968	13.03 million hectares	-11.7%
1969	17.09 million hectares	+31.2%
1970	15.15 million hectares	-11.4%
1971	14.83 million hectares	-2.1%
1972	12.65 million hectares	-14.6%
1973	13.96 million hectares	+10.3%
1974	14.10 million hectares	+1.0%
1975	12.76 million hectares	-9.5%
1976	15.06 million hectares	+18.0%
1977	13.83 million hectares	-8.2%
1978	13.83 million hectares	+0.0%
1979	12.26 million hectares	-11.4%
1980	13.91 million hectares	+13.5%
1981	13.67 million hectares	-1.7%
1982	13.28 million hectares	-2.9%
1983	13.59 million hectares	+2.3%
1984	15.37 million hectares	+13.1%
1985	18.38 million hectares	+19.6%
1986	18.70 million hectares	+1.7%
1987	17.12 million hectares	-8.4%
1988	19.41 million hectares	+13.4%
1989	17.88 million hectares	-7.9%
1990	16.29 million hectares	-8.9%
1991	19.88 million hectares	+22.1%
1992	21.39 million hectares	+7.6%
1993	21.08 million hectares	-1.4%
1994	22.56 million hectares	+7.0%
1995	21.44 million hectares	-5.0%
1996	23.28 million hectares	+8.6%
1997	23.67 million hectares	+1.7%
1998	23.21 million hectares	-1.9%
1999	21.21 million hectares	-8.6%
2000	21.08 million hectares	-0.6%
2001	23.34 million hectares	+10.7%
2002	22.42 million hectares	-3.9%
2003	25.08 million hectares	+11.8%
2004	21.95 million hectares	-12.5%
2005	28.59 million hectares	+30.2%
2006	26.04 million hectares	-8.9%
2007	26.83 million hectares	+3.0%
2008	27.53 million hectares	+2.6%
2009	24.58 million hectares	-10.7%
2010	24.78 million hectares	+0.8%
2011	19.38 million hectares	-21.8%

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	13.88 million hectares	12.90 million hectares	17.09 million hectares	9
1970s	13.84 million hectares	12.26 million hectares	15.15 million hectares	10
1980s	16.13 million hectares	13.28 million hectares	19.41 million hectares	10
1990s	21.40 million hectares	16.29 million hectares	23.67 million hectares	10
2000s	24.74 million hectares	21.08 million hectares	28.59 million hectares	10
2010s	22.08 million hectares	19.38 million hectares	24.78 million hectares	2

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa

1 Sudan 5.61 million hectares compare
2 Nigeria 4.89 million hectares compare
3 Niger 2.88 million hectares compare
4 Ethiopia 2.15 million hectares compare
5 Mali 1.69 million hectares compare

See the full ranking of 47 places →

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 55.3% (2025)
Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2024)

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is land under sorghum production in Sub-Saharan Africa?: Land under sorghum production in Sub-Saharan Africa was 19.38 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 Sub-Saharan Africa?: The highest recorded value was 28.59 million hectares in 2005.
What is the lowest land under sorghum production recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?: The lowest recorded value was 12.26 million hectares in 1979.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for land under sorghum production?: Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd out of 6 groups with data for 2011.
Is land under sorghum production rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?: Over the last ten years it is down 17.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sub-Saharan 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.

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Land under sorghum production in Sub-Saharan Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/land-under-sorghum-production-hectares/sub-saharan-africa/

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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: 21 August 2026

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.