Potato yields in Zambia
Zambia: Potato yields was 20.94 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
20.94 tonnes per hectare
Change on year
down 14.7%
World rank
77th
of 159 countries
All-time high
31.61 tonnes per hectare
in 2017
All-time low
6.6 tonnes per hectare
in 1968
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Potato yields in Zambia, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025); Broadberry et al. (2015); Brassley (2000) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per hectare.
Analysis
In 2024, potato yields in Zambia stood at 20.94 tonnes per hectare.
That represents a change of down 14.7% on the previous year and up 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, potato yields in Zambia peaked at 31.61 tonnes per hectare in 2017 and was at its lowest, 6.6 tonnes per hectare, in 1968.
That places Zambia 77th out of 159 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Potato yields in Zambia, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 8.66 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 10.07 tonnes per hectare | +16.3% |
| 1963 | 11.68 tonnes per hectare | +16.0% |
| 1964 | 8.51 tonnes per hectare | -27.2% |
| 1965 | 9.81 tonnes per hectare | +15.3% |
| 1966 | 10 tonnes per hectare | +2.0% |
| 1967 | 9.9 tonnes per hectare | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 6.6 tonnes per hectare | -33.4% |
| 1969 | 9.33 tonnes per hectare | +41.5% |
| 1970 | 8.47 tonnes per hectare | -9.3% |
| 1971 | 8.67 tonnes per hectare | +2.4% |
| 1972 | 8.67 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 8.57 tonnes per hectare | -1.1% |
| 1974 | 8.75 tonnes per hectare | +2.1% |
| 1975 | 8.7 tonnes per hectare | -0.6% |
| 1976 | 9 tonnes per hectare | +3.5% |
| 1977 | 8.57 tonnes per hectare | -4.8% |
| 1978 | 8.89 tonnes per hectare | +3.7% |
| 1979 | 8.89 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 8.89 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 9 tonnes per hectare | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 9.06 tonnes per hectare | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 9.09 tonnes per hectare | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 9.12 tonnes per hectare | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 8.96 tonnes per hectare | -1.8% |
| 1986 | 9.03 tonnes per hectare | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 9.09 tonnes per hectare | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 9.04 tonnes per hectare | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 9.09 tonnes per hectare | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 9 tonnes per hectare | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 9.09 tonnes per hectare | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 8.89 tonnes per hectare | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 9.09 tonnes per hectare | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 9 tonnes per hectare | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 8.89 tonnes per hectare | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 9.09 tonnes per hectare | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 9 tonnes per hectare | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 8.89 tonnes per hectare | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 9.09 tonnes per hectare | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 9.09 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 10.7 tonnes per hectare | +17.7% |
| 2002 | 11.72 tonnes per hectare | +9.5% |
| 2003 | 14 tonnes per hectare | +19.5% |
| 2004 | 13.39 tonnes per hectare | -4.4% |
| 2005 | 14.42 tonnes per hectare | +7.7% |
| 2006 | 14 tonnes per hectare | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 13.18 tonnes per hectare | -5.8% |
| 2008 | 10.11 tonnes per hectare | -23.3% |
| 2009 | 17.26 tonnes per hectare | +70.8% |
| 2010 | 16.22 tonnes per hectare | -6.0% |
| 2011 | 15.63 tonnes per hectare | -3.7% |
| 2012 | 16.12 tonnes per hectare | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 12.78 tonnes per hectare | -20.7% |
| 2014 | 19.82 tonnes per hectare | +55.1% |
| 2015 | 15.34 tonnes per hectare | -22.6% |
| 2016 | 18.73 tonnes per hectare | +22.1% |
| 2017 | 31.61 tonnes per hectare | +68.8% |
| 2018 | 7.49 tonnes per hectare | -76.3% |
| 2019 | 19.24 tonnes per hectare | +156.9% |
| 2020 | 25.09 tonnes per hectare | +30.5% |
| 2021 | 23.38 tonnes per hectare | -6.8% |
| 2022 | 18.54 tonnes per hectare | -20.7% |
| 2023 | 24.56 tonnes per hectare | +32.5% |
| 2024 | 20.94 tonnes per hectare | -14.7% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 20.94 tonnes per hectare is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 16.14 tonnes per hectare, 1.3× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 20.94 tonnes per hectare is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.02 tonnes per hectare, 2.1× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Potato yields in Zambia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +156.9% | 7.49 tonnes per hectare | 19.24 tonnes per hectare |
| 2018 | -76.3% | 31.61 tonnes per hectare | 7.49 tonnes per hectare |
| 2009 | +70.8% | 10.11 tonnes per hectare | 17.26 tonnes per hectare |
| 2017 | +68.8% | 18.73 tonnes per hectare | 31.61 tonnes per hectare |
| 2014 | +55.1% | 12.78 tonnes per hectare | 19.82 tonnes per hectare |
| 1969 | +41.5% | 6.6 tonnes per hectare | 9.33 tonnes per hectare |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 9.39 tonnes per hectare | 6.6 tonnes per hectare | 11.68 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 8.72 tonnes per hectare | 8.47 tonnes per hectare | 9 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.04 tonnes per hectare | 8.89 tonnes per hectare | 9.12 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 9 tonnes per hectare | 8.89 tonnes per hectare | 9.09 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.79 tonnes per hectare | 9.09 tonnes per hectare | 17.26 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.3 tonnes per hectare | 7.49 tonnes per hectare | 31.61 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.51 tonnes per hectare | 18.54 tonnes per hectare | 25.09 tonnes per hectare | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More agriculture & rural data for Zambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 65.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0411 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 54.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5408 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is potato yields in Zambia?
- Potato yields in Zambia was 20.94 tonnes per hectare in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025); Broadberry et al. (2015); Brassley (2000) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest potato yields recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 31.61 tonnes per hectare in 2017.
- What is the lowest potato yields recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.6 tonnes per hectare in 1968.
- How does Zambia rank for potato yields?
- Zambia ranks 77th out of 159 countries with data for 2024.
- Is potato yields rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025); Broadberry et al. (2015); Brassley (2000) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Potato 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
Yields are measured in tonnes per hectare.