Potatoes — Area harvested in South Africa
South Africa: Potatoes — Area harvested was 69,129 ha in 2024. ▲ Rising
Potatoes — Area harvested in South Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 69,129 ha for potatoes — area harvested in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.9% on the previous year and up 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, potatoes — area harvested in South Africa peaked at 72,790 ha in 2019 and was at its lowest, 37,000 ha, in 1972.
That places South Africa 35th out of 153 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.
Potatoes — Area harvested in South Africa, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 43,682 ha | — |
| 1962 | 51,391 ha | +17.6% |
| 1963 | 51,391 ha | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 48,000 ha | -6.6% |
| 1965 | 50,000 ha | +4.2% |
| 1966 | 37,900 ha | -24.2% |
| 1967 | 41,050 ha | +8.3% |
| 1968 | 38,000 ha | -7.4% |
| 1969 | 55,000 ha | +44.7% |
| 1970 | 46,000 ha | -16.4% |
| 1971 | 55,000 ha | +19.6% |
| 1972 | 37,000 ha | -32.7% |
| 1973 | 40,000 ha | +8.1% |
| 1974 | 45,000 ha | +12.5% |
| 1975 | 48,000 ha | +6.7% |
| 1976 | 48,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 50,000 ha | +4.2% |
| 1978 | 50,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 49,000 ha | -2.0% |
| 1980 | 49,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 61,000 ha | +24.5% |
| 1982 | 56,000 ha | -8.2% |
| 1983 | 60,000 ha | +7.1% |
| 1984 | 67,000 ha | +11.7% |
| 1985 | 66,000 ha | -1.5% |
| 1986 | 57,000 ha | -13.6% |
| 1987 | 57,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 65,000 ha | +14.0% |
| 1989 | 71,606 ha | +10.2% |
| 1990 | 62,947 ha | -12.1% |
| 1991 | 66,064 ha | +5.0% |
| 1992 | 59,866 ha | -9.4% |
| 1993 | 55,911 ha | -6.6% |
| 1994 | 55,197 ha | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 55,197 ha | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 61,000 ha | +10.5% |
| 1997 | 55,973 ha | -8.2% |
| 1998 | 53,872 ha | -3.8% |
| 1999 | 56,680 ha | +5.2% |
| 2000 | 53,612 ha | -5.4% |
| 2001 | 56,000 ha | +4.5% |
| 2002 | 48,000 ha | -14.3% |
| 2003 | 50,000 ha | +4.2% |
| 2004 | 52,000 ha | +4.0% |
| 2005 | 53,000 ha | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 56,000 ha | +5.7% |
| 2007 | 58,000 ha | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 60,000 ha | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 55,000 ha | -8.3% |
| 2010 | 61,109 ha | +11.1% |
| 2011 | 62,860 ha | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 63,598 ha | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 61,635 ha | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 63,651 ha | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 69,435 ha | +9.1% |
| 2016 | 59,749 ha | -13.9% |
| 2017 | 68,107 ha | +14.0% |
| 2018 | 67,824 ha | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 72,790 ha | +7.3% |
| 2020 | 72,344 ha | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 69,675 ha | -3.7% |
| 2022 | 67,605 ha | -3.0% |
| 2023 | 64,070 ha | -5.2% |
| 2024 | 69,129 ha | +7.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 46,268 ha | 37,900 ha | 55,000 ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 46,800 ha | 37,000 ha | 55,000 ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 60,961 ha | 49,000 ha | 71,606 ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 58,271 ha | 53,872 ha | 66,064 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 54,161 ha | 48,000 ha | 60,000 ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 65,076 ha | 59,749 ha | 72,790 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 68,565 ha | 64,070 ha | 72,344 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)
- Agriculture share gdp 2.83 (2025)
- Value added in the agricultural sector as of gdp vs gdp per capita 2.83 (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is potatoes — area harvested in South Africa?
- Potatoes — area harvested in South Africa was 69,129 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest potatoes — area harvested recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 72,790 ha in 2019.
- What is the lowest potatoes — area harvested recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 37,000 ha in 1972.
- How does South Africa rank for potatoes — area harvested?
- South Africa ranks 35th out of 153 countries with data for 2024.
- Is potatoes — area harvested rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.6%. 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 Potatoes — 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.