Corn yields in South Africa
South Africa: Corn yields was 4.87 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
4.87 tonnes per hectare
Change on year
down 23.3%
World rank
68th
of 171 countries
All-time high
6.35 tonnes per hectare
in 2023
All-time low
0.7853 tonnes per hectare
in 1992
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Corn yields in South Africa, 1961–2024
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) (2026); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per hectare.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 4.87 tonnes per hectare for corn yields in 2024.
The figure is down 23.3% on the previous year and down 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, corn yields in South Africa peaked at 6.35 tonnes per hectare in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.7853 tonnes per hectare, in 1992.
South Africa ranks 68th of 171 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Corn yields in South Africa, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.29 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 1.39 tonnes per hectare | +8.0% |
| 1963 | 1.41 tonnes per hectare | +1.8% |
| 1964 | 0.9723 tonnes per hectare | -31.1% |
| 1965 | 1.07 tonnes per hectare | +10.5% |
| 1966 | 1.22 tonnes per hectare | +13.3% |
| 1967 | 2.14 tonnes per hectare | +75.5% |
| 1968 | 1.13 tonnes per hectare | -46.9% |
| 1969 | 1.23 tonnes per hectare | +8.2% |
| 1970 | 1.4 tonnes per hectare | +14.1% |
| 1971 | 1.8 tonnes per hectare | +28.9% |
| 1972 | 1.92 tonnes per hectare | +6.4% |
| 1973 | 1.06 tonnes per hectare | -44.9% |
| 1974 | 2.3 tonnes per hectare | +117.5% |
| 1975 | 1.91 tonnes per hectare | -17.1% |
| 1976 | 1.51 tonnes per hectare | -21.0% |
| 1977 | 2.08 tonnes per hectare | +38.1% |
| 1978 | 2.31 tonnes per hectare | +11.1% |
| 1979 | 1.86 tonnes per hectare | -19.8% |
| 1980 | 2.42 tonnes per hectare | +30.4% |
| 1981 | 3.31 tonnes per hectare | +37.0% |
| 1982 | 1.88 tonnes per hectare | -43.2% |
| 1983 | 0.94 tonnes per hectare | -50.1% |
| 1984 | 0.9913 tonnes per hectare | +5.5% |
| 1985 | 1.88 tonnes per hectare | +89.2% |
| 1986 | 1.78 tonnes per hectare | -5.0% |
| 1987 | 1.56 tonnes per hectare | -12.5% |
| 1988 | 1.62 tonnes per hectare | +3.9% |
| 1989 | 2.84 tonnes per hectare | +75.4% |
| 1990 | 2.21 tonnes per hectare | -22.4% |
| 1991 | 2.26 tonnes per hectare | +2.4% |
| 1992 | 0.7853 tonnes per hectare | -65.2% |
| 1993 | 2.28 tonnes per hectare | +190.8% |
| 1994 | 2.85 tonnes per hectare | +24.7% |
| 1995 | 1.38 tonnes per hectare | -51.5% |
| 1996 | 2.7 tonnes per hectare | +96.0% |
| 1997 | 2.52 tonnes per hectare | -6.8% |
| 1998 | 2.16 tonnes per hectare | -14.2% |
| 1999 | 2.23 tonnes per hectare | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 2.85 tonnes per hectare | +27.9% |
| 2001 | 2.44 tonnes per hectare | -14.5% |
| 2002 | 2.85 tonnes per hectare | +17.0% |
| 2003 | 2.66 tonnes per hectare | -6.8% |
| 2004 | 3.03 tonnes per hectare | +14.0% |
| 2005 | 3.64 tonnes per hectare | +20.0% |
| 2006 | 3.41 tonnes per hectare | -6.1% |
| 2007 | 2.79 tonnes per hectare | -18.2% |
| 2008 | 4.54 tonnes per hectare | +62.5% |
| 2009 | 4.96 tonnes per hectare | +9.4% |
| 2010 | 4.67 tonnes per hectare | -5.9% |
| 2011 | 4.37 tonnes per hectare | -6.6% |
| 2012 | 4.49 tonnes per hectare | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 4.25 tonnes per hectare | -5.4% |
| 2014 | 5.3 tonnes per hectare | +24.8% |
| 2015 | 3.49 tonnes per hectare | -34.2% |
| 2016 | 3.71 tonnes per hectare | +6.4% |
| 2017 | 5.86 tonnes per hectare | +57.9% |
| 2018 | 4.98 tonnes per hectare | -15.1% |
| 2019 | 4.55 tonnes per hectare | -8.5% |
| 2020 | 5.45 tonnes per hectare | +19.6% |
| 2021 | 5.92 tonnes per hectare | +8.7% |
| 2022 | 5.9 tonnes per hectare | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 6.35 tonnes per hectare | +7.7% |
| 2024 | 4.87 tonnes per hectare | -23.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 4.87 tonnes per hectare is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.18 tonnes per hectare, 1.2× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 4.87 tonnes per hectare is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.27 tonnes per hectare, 3.8× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Corn yields in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +190.8% | 0.7853 tonnes per hectare | 2.28 tonnes per hectare |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.32 tonnes per hectare | 0.9723 tonnes per hectare | 2.14 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.81 tonnes per hectare | 1.06 tonnes per hectare | 2.31 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.92 tonnes per hectare | 0.94 tonnes per hectare | 3.31 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.14 tonnes per hectare | 0.7853 tonnes per hectare | 2.85 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.32 tonnes per hectare | 2.44 tonnes per hectare | 4.96 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.57 tonnes per hectare | 3.49 tonnes per hectare | 5.86 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.7 tonnes per hectare | 4.87 tonnes per hectare | 6.35 tonnes per hectare | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0283 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 186.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.812 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3618 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is corn yields in South Africa?
- Corn yields in South Africa was 4.87 tonnes per hectare in 2024, according to USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) (2026); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest corn yields recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 6.35 tonnes per hectare in 2023.
- What is the lowest corn yields recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7853 tonnes per hectare in 1992.
- How does South Africa rank for corn yields?
- South Africa ranks 68th out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
- Is corn yields rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) (2026); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Corn yields. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average corn yields measured in tonnes per hectare.