Maize yield in Nigeria

Nigeria: Maize yield was 1,528 kg per hectare in 2011. ▲ Rising

Latest (2011)
1,528 kg per hectare
Change on year
down 17.4%
World rank
22nd
of 49 countries
All-time high
2,196 kg per hectare
in 2009
All-time low
573.1 kg per hectare
in 1972
Years of data
51
1961–2011

Maize yield in Nigeria, 1961–2011

5001.0k1.5k2.0k196119862011

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in kg per hectare.

Analysis

Nigeria recorded 1,528 kg per hectare for maize yield in 2011.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 17.4% on the previous year and up 9.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, maize yield in Nigeria peaked at 2,196 kg per hectare in 2009 and was at its lowest, 573.1 kg per hectare, in 1972.

That places Nigeria 22nd out of 49 countries with data for 2011, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Maize yield in Nigeria, year by year

Annual values for Maize yield (kg per hectare) in Nigeria, 1961 to 2011.
Year kg per hectare Change
1961 805.1 kg per hectare —
1962 884.8 kg per hectare +9.9%
1963 1,024 kg per hectare +15.7%
1964 760 kg per hectare -25.8%
1965 826.2 kg per hectare +8.7%
1966 851.5 kg per hectare +3.1%
1967 816.9 kg per hectare -4.1%
1968 1,028 kg per hectare +25.9%
1969 915.4 kg per hectare -11.0%
1970 995.9 kg per hectare +8.8%
1971 1,046 kg per hectare +5.0%
1972 573.1 kg per hectare -45.2%
1973 648.5 kg per hectare +13.2%
1974 911.9 kg per hectare +40.6%
1975 1,372 kg per hectare +50.4%
1976 1,197 kg per hectare -12.7%
1977 1,066 kg per hectare -11.0%
1978 1,268 kg per hectare +19.0%
1979 1,148 kg per hectare -9.4%
1980 1,316 kg per hectare +14.6%
1981 1,644 kg per hectare +24.9%
1982 1,378 kg per hectare -16.2%
1983 970.7 kg per hectare -29.5%
1984 1,139 kg per hectare +17.3%
1985 1,174 kg per hectare +3.0%
1986 1,268 kg per hectare +8.0%
1987 1,353 kg per hectare +6.7%
1988 1,640 kg per hectare +21.2%
1989 1,395 kg per hectare -14.9%
1990 1,130 kg per hectare -19.0%
1991 1,130 kg per hectare -0.0%
1992 1,118 kg per hectare -1.0%
1993 1,185 kg per hectare +6.0%
1994 1,272 kg per hectare +7.4%
1995 1,267 kg per hectare -0.4%
1996 1,326 kg per hectare +4.7%
1997 1,251 kg per hectare -5.7%
1998 1,320 kg per hectare +5.5%
1999 1,600 kg per hectare +21.2%
2000 1,300 kg per hectare -18.7%
2001 1,400 kg per hectare +7.7%
2002 1,490 kg per hectare +6.4%
2003 1,500 kg per hectare +0.7%
2004 1,600 kg per hectare +6.7%
2005 1,660 kg per hectare +3.7%
2006 1,818 kg per hectare +9.5%
2007 1,705 kg per hectare -6.2%
2008 1,957 kg per hectare +14.8%
2009 2,196 kg per hectare +12.2%
2010 1,850 kg per hectare -15.8%
2011 1,528 kg per hectare -17.4%

Nigeria compared with similar countries

  • Nigeria's 1,528 kg per hectare is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1,330 kg per hectare, 1.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
  • Nigeria's 1,528 kg per hectare is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,322 kg per hectare, 1.2× the median. (44 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 879.1 kg per hectare 760 kg per hectare 1,028 kg per hectare 9
1970s 1,023 kg per hectare 573.1 kg per hectare 1,372 kg per hectare 10
1980s 1,328 kg per hectare 970.7 kg per hectare 1,644 kg per hectare 10
1990s 1,260 kg per hectare 1,118 kg per hectare 1,600 kg per hectare 10
2000s 1,663 kg per hectare 1,300 kg per hectare 2,196 kg per hectare 10
2010s 1,689 kg per hectare 1,528 kg per hectare 1,850 kg per hectare 2

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 19 Ghana 1,646 kg per hectare compare
  2. 20 Kenya 1,584 kg per hectare compare
  3. 21 Burkina Faso 1,536 kg per hectare compare
  4. 23 Madagascar 1,521 kg per hectare compare
  5. 24 Mali 1,404 kg per hectare compare
  6. 25 Benin 1,330 kg per hectare compare

See the full ranking of 55 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is maize yield in Nigeria?
Maize yield in Nigeria was 1,528 kg per hectare in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.
What is the highest maize yield recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 2,196 kg per hectare in 2009.
What is the lowest maize yield recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 573.1 kg per hectare in 1972.
How does Nigeria rank for maize yield?
Nigeria ranks 22nd out of 49 countries with data for 2011.
Is maize yield rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site, published as part of Maize yield (kg per hectare). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Maize yield in Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Retrieved 26 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/maize-yield-kg-per-hectare/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Maize yield (kg per hectare)
Unit
kg per hectare
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
55 places, 2,720 data points, 1961–2011
Last refreshed

Maize yield, measured as kilograms per hectare of harvested land. Production data on relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Crop harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed, or silage and those used for grazing are excluded.