Maize (corn) — Area harvested in Africa

Africa: Maize (corn) — Area harvested was 46.53 million ha in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
46.53 million ha
Change on year
up 0.3%
Rank
3rd
of 29 groups
All-time high
46.53 million ha
in 2024
All-time low
15.46 million ha
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Maize (corn) — Area harvested in Africa, 1961–2024

20.0M30.0M40.0M50.0M196119922024

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.

Analysis

Africa recorded 46.53 million ha for maize (corn) — area harvested in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 21.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, maize (corn) — area harvested in Africa peaked at 46.53 million ha in 2024 and was at its lowest, 15.46 million ha, in 1961.

Africa ranks 3rd of 29 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.

Maize (corn) — Area harvested in Africa, year by year

Annual values for Maize (corn) — Area harvested in Africa, 1961 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1961 15.46 million ha —
1962 15.81 million ha +2.3%
1963 15.91 million ha +0.6%
1964 16.51 million ha +3.8%
1965 16.50 million ha -0.1%
1966 16.69 million ha +1.1%
1967 17.34 million ha +3.9%
1968 17.60 million ha +1.5%
1969 17.64 million ha +0.2%
1970 17.47 million ha -1.0%
1971 17.69 million ha +1.3%
1972 18.18 million ha +2.7%
1973 17.62 million ha -3.1%
1974 18.64 million ha +5.8%
1975 18.75 million ha +0.6%
1976 19.20 million ha +2.4%
1977 18.18 million ha -5.3%
1978 18.15 million ha -0.2%
1979 17.80 million ha -1.9%
1980 18.06 million ha +1.4%
1981 17.95 million ha -0.6%
1982 18.44 million ha +2.7%
1983 19.44 million ha +5.4%
1984 19.60 million ha +0.9%
1985 20.43 million ha +4.2%
1986 22.65 million ha +10.9%
1987 23.55 million ha +4.0%
1988 24.18 million ha +2.7%
1989 24.57 million ha +1.6%
1990 24.75 million ha +0.7%
1991 24.70 million ha -0.2%
1992 25.12 million ha +1.7%
1993 25.94 million ha +3.3%
1994 27.02 million ha +4.2%
1995 25.12 million ha -7.1%
1996 25.21 million ha +0.3%
1997 25.61 million ha +1.6%
1998 25.08 million ha -2.1%
1999 24.34 million ha -3.0%
2000 24.25 million ha -0.4%
2001 23.97 million ha -1.1%
2002 25.58 million ha +6.7%
2003 28.27 million ha +10.5%
2004 27.78 million ha -1.7%
2005 29.59 million ha +6.5%
2006 28.15 million ha -4.9%
2007 28.55 million ha +1.4%
2008 31.51 million ha +10.4%
2009 30.37 million ha -3.6%
2010 33.25 million ha +9.5%
2011 35.35 million ha +6.3%
2012 36.40 million ha +3.0%
2013 37.68 million ha +3.5%
2014 38.46 million ha +2.1%
2015 37.75 million ha -1.9%
2016 39.01 million ha +3.3%
2017 42.02 million ha +7.7%
2018 42.30 million ha +0.7%
2019 42.52 million ha +0.5%
2020 43.42 million ha +2.1%
2021 44.22 million ha +1.8%
2022 43.91 million ha -0.7%
2023 46.38 million ha +5.6%
2024 46.53 million ha +0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 16.61 million ha 15.46 million ha 17.64 million ha 9
1970s 18.17 million ha 17.47 million ha 19.20 million ha 10
1980s 20.89 million ha 17.95 million ha 24.57 million ha 10
1990s 25.29 million ha 24.34 million ha 27.02 million ha 10
2000s 27.80 million ha 23.97 million ha 31.51 million ha 10
2010s 38.48 million ha 33.25 million ha 42.52 million ha 10
2020s 44.89 million ha 43.42 million ha 46.53 million ha 5

Countries ranked near Africa

  1. 1 China 44.78 million ha compare
  2. 2 China, mainland 44.74 million ha compare
  3. 3 Brazil 21.19 million ha compare
  4. 4 India 11.35 million ha compare
  5. 4 United Republic of Tanzania 5.74 million ha compare
  6. 5 Argentina 8.74 million ha compare
  7. 5 Democratic Republic of the Congo 3.11 million ha compare
  8. 6 Mexico 6.57 million ha compare
  9. 6 Viet Nam 862,053 ha compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Africa

All data for Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is maize (corn) — area harvested in Africa?
Maize (corn) — area harvested in Africa was 46.53 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest maize (corn) — area harvested recorded in Africa?
The highest recorded value was 46.53 million ha in 2024.
What is the lowest maize (corn) — area harvested recorded in Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 15.46 million ha in 1961.
How does Africa rank for maize (corn) — area harvested?
Africa ranks 3rd out of 29 groups with data for 2024.
Is maize (corn) — area harvested rising or falling in Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 21.0%. 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 of the United Nations, published as part of Maize (corn) — Area harvested. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Maize (corn) — Area harvested in Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 27 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/maize-corn-area-harvested/africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Maize (corn) — Area harvested
Unit
ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
215 places, 11,827 data points, 1961–2024
Last refreshed

Crop and livestock statistics are recorded for 278 products, covering the following categories: 1) CROPS PRIMARY: Cereals, Citrus Fruit, Fibre Crops, Fruit, Oil Crops, Oil Crops and Cakes in Oil Equivalent, Pulses, Roots and Tubers, Sugar Crops, Treenuts and Vegetables. Data are expressed in terms of area harvested, production quantity and yield. Cereals: Area and 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 or used for grazing are therefore excluded. 2) CROPS PROCESSED: Beer of barley; Cotton lint; Cottonseed; Margarine, short; Molasses; Oil, coconut (copra); Oil, cottonseed; Oil, groundnut; Oil, linseed; Oil, maize; Oil, olive, virgin; Oil, palm; Oil, palm kernel; Oil, rapeseed; Oil, safflower; Oil, sesame; Oil, soybean; Oil, sunflower; Palm kernels; Sugar Raw Centrifugal; Wine. 3) LIVE ANIMALS: Animals live n.e.s.; Asses; Beehives; Buffaloes; Camelids, other; Camels; Cattle; Chickens; Ducks; Geese and guinea fowls; Goats; Horses; Mules; Pigeons, other birds; Pigs; Rabbits and hares; Rodents, other; Sheep; Turkeys. 4) LIVESTOCK PRIMARY: Beeswax; Eggs (various types); Hides buffalo, fresh; Hides, cattle, fresh; Honey, natural; Meat (ass, bird nes, buffalo, camel, cattle, chicken, duck, game, goat, goose and guinea fowl, horse, mule, Meat nes, meat other camelids, Meat other rodents, pig, rabbit, sheep, turkey); Milk (buffalo, camel, cow, goat, sheep); Offals, nes; Silk-worm cocoons, reelable; Skins (goat, sheep); Snails, not sea; Wool, greasy. 5) LIVESTOCK PROCESSED: Butter (of milk from sheep, goat, buffalo, cow); Cheese (of milk from goat, buffalo, sheep, cow milk); Cheese of skimmed cow milk; Cream fresh; Ghee (cow and buffalo milk); Lard; Milk (dry buttermilk, skimmed condensed, skimmed cow, skimmed dried, skimmed evaporated, whole condensed, whole dried, whole evaporated); Silk raw; Tallow; Whey (condensed and dry); Yoghurt.