Oilcrops, Oil Equivalent — Area harvested in South Africa
South Africa: Oilcrops, Oil Equivalent — Area harvested was 1.92 million ha in 2024. ▲ Rising
Oilcrops, Oil Equivalent — Area harvested in South Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
The most recent figure for oilcrops, oil equivalent — area harvested in South Africa is 1.92 million ha, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 51.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, oilcrops, oil equivalent — area harvested in South Africa peaked at 1.92 million ha in 2024 and was at its lowest, 469,000 ha, in 1962.
That places South Africa 25th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Oilcrops, Oil Equivalent — Area harvested in South Africa, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 539,000 ha | — |
| 1962 | 469,000 ha | -13.0% |
| 1963 | 556,000 ha | +18.6% |
| 1964 | 591,000 ha | +6.3% |
| 1965 | 477,000 ha | -19.3% |
| 1966 | 521,600 ha | +9.4% |
| 1967 | 511,200 ha | -2.0% |
| 1968 | 583,745 ha | +14.2% |
| 1969 | 615,354 ha | +5.4% |
| 1970 | 689,164 ha | +12.0% |
| 1971 | 603,000 ha | -12.5% |
| 1972 | 642,000 ha | +6.5% |
| 1973 | 687,000 ha | +7.0% |
| 1974 | 722,000 ha | +5.1% |
| 1975 | 570,000 ha | -21.1% |
| 1976 | 538,000 ha | -5.6% |
| 1977 | 681,000 ha | +26.6% |
| 1978 | 896,400 ha | +31.6% |
| 1979 | 809,000 ha | -9.8% |
| 1980 | 810,300 ha | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 791,000 ha | -2.4% |
| 1982 | 661,000 ha | -16.4% |
| 1983 | 697,000 ha | +5.4% |
| 1984 | 740,000 ha | +6.2% |
| 1985 | 699,000 ha | -5.5% |
| 1986 | 736,000 ha | +5.3% |
| 1987 | 797,000 ha | +8.3% |
| 1988 | 946,000 ha | +18.7% |
| 1989 | 849,000 ha | -10.3% |
| 1990 | 862,266 ha | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 959,117 ha | +11.2% |
| 1992 | 889,801 ha | -7.2% |
| 1993 | 746,642 ha | -16.1% |
| 1994 | 700,160 ha | -6.2% |
| 1995 | 804,225 ha | +14.9% |
| 1996 | 933,720 ha | +16.1% |
| 1997 | 748,998 ha | -19.8% |
| 1998 | 819,698 ha | +9.4% |
| 1999 | 1.19 million ha | +45.7% |
| 2000 | 660,304 ha | -44.7% |
| 2001 | 922,046 ha | +39.6% |
| 2002 | 973,306 ha | +5.6% |
| 2003 | 840,194 ha | -13.7% |
| 2004 | 833,000 ha | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 727,980 ha | -12.6% |
| 2006 | 827,238 ha | +13.6% |
| 2007 | 598,962 ha | -27.6% |
| 2008 | 841,830 ha | +40.5% |
| 2009 | 984,408 ha | +16.9% |
| 2010 | 820,710 ha | -16.6% |
| 2011 | 1.19 million ha | +44.6% |
| 2012 | 1.04 million ha | -12.5% |
| 2013 | 1.16 million ha | +11.8% |
| 2014 | 1.27 million ha | +9.5% |
| 2015 | 1.43 million ha | +12.4% |
| 2016 | 1.33 million ha | -6.7% |
| 2017 | 1.38 million ha | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 1.57 million ha | +13.8% |
| 2019 | 1.40 million ha | -11.2% |
| 2020 | 1.36 million ha | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 1.47 million ha | +8.5% |
| 2022 | 1.80 million ha | +21.8% |
| 2023 | 1.90 million ha | +5.8% |
| 2024 | 1.92 million ha | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 540,433 ha | 469,000 ha | 615,354 ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 683,756 ha | 538,000 ha | 896,400 ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 772,630 ha | 661,000 ha | 946,000 ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 865,903 ha | 700,160 ha | 1.19 million ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 820,927 ha | 598,962 ha | 984,408 ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.26 million ha | 820,710 ha | 1.57 million ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.69 million ha | 1.36 million ha | 1.92 million ha | 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 oilcrops, oil equivalent — area harvested in South Africa?
- Oilcrops, oil equivalent — area harvested in South Africa was 1.92 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest oilcrops, oil equivalent — area harvested recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.92 million ha in 2024.
- What is the lowest oilcrops, oil equivalent — area harvested recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 469,000 ha in 1962.
- How does South Africa rank for oilcrops, oil equivalent — area harvested?
- South Africa ranks 25th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is oilcrops, oil equivalent — area harvested rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 51.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Oilcrops, Oil Equivalent — Area harvested. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
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.