Potatoes — Yield in South Africa
South Africa: Potatoes — Yield was 37,951 kg/ha in 2024. ▲ Rising
Potatoes — Yield in South Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kg/ha.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 37,951 kg/ha for potatoes — yield in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, potatoes — yield in South Africa peaked at 37,951 kg/ha in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6,499 kg/ha, in 1962.
That places South Africa 16th out of 153 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Potatoes — Yield in South Africa, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 7,600 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | 6,499 kg/ha | -14.5% |
| 1963 | 7,764 kg/ha | +19.5% |
| 1964 | 8,312 kg/ha | +7.1% |
| 1965 | 7,760 kg/ha | -6.6% |
| 1966 | 10,844 kg/ha | +39.7% |
| 1967 | 11,790 kg/ha | +8.7% |
| 1968 | 14,395 kg/ha | +22.1% |
| 1969 | 9,546 kg/ha | -33.7% |
| 1970 | 13,413 kg/ha | +40.5% |
| 1971 | 11,018 kg/ha | -17.9% |
| 1972 | 18,243 kg/ha | +65.6% |
| 1973 | 13,975 kg/ha | -23.4% |
| 1974 | 14,400 kg/ha | +3.0% |
| 1975 | 14,833 kg/ha | +3.0% |
| 1976 | 14,250 kg/ha | -3.9% |
| 1977 | 15,140 kg/ha | +6.2% |
| 1978 | 14,020 kg/ha | -7.4% |
| 1979 | 14,204 kg/ha | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 14,000 kg/ha | -1.4% |
| 1981 | 14,082 kg/ha | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 17,786 kg/ha | +26.3% |
| 1983 | 14,183 kg/ha | -20.3% |
| 1984 | 14,627 kg/ha | +3.1% |
| 1985 | 15,939 kg/ha | +9.0% |
| 1986 | 18,018 kg/ha | +13.0% |
| 1987 | 17,825 kg/ha | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 16,400 kg/ha | -8.0% |
| 1989 | 17,568 kg/ha | +7.1% |
| 1990 | 20,026 kg/ha | +14.0% |
| 1991 | 20,019 kg/ha | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 17,846 kg/ha | -10.9% |
| 1993 | 22,868 kg/ha | +28.1% |
| 1994 | 23,262 kg/ha | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 25,763 kg/ha | +10.8% |
| 1996 | 26,105 kg/ha | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 28,210 kg/ha | +8.1% |
| 1998 | 30,767 kg/ha | +9.1% |
| 1999 | 31,554 kg/ha | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 31,654 kg/ha | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 31,196 kg/ha | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 32,415 kg/ha | +3.9% |
| 2003 | 32,996 kg/ha | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 34,608 kg/ha | +4.9% |
| 2005 | 33,353 kg/ha | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 33,165 kg/ha | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 33,059 kg/ha | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 34,000 kg/ha | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 33,938 kg/ha | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 34,205 kg/ha | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 34,954 kg/ha | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 35,044 kg/ha | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 35,270 kg/ha | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 35,310 kg/ha | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 35,813 kg/ha | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 35,998 kg/ha | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 36,076 kg/ha | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 36,384 kg/ha | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 36,733 kg/ha | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 36,895 kg/ha | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 37,248 kg/ha | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 37,456 kg/ha | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 37,703 kg/ha | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 37,951 kg/ha | +0.7% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 37,951 kg/ha is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 19,409 kg/ha, 2.0× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 37,951 kg/ha is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10,316 kg/ha, 3.7× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Potatoes — Yield 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | +65.6% | 11,018 kg/ha | 18,243 kg/ha |
| 1970 | +40.5% | 9,546 kg/ha | 13,413 kg/ha |
| 1966 | +39.7% | 7,760 kg/ha | 10,844 kg/ha |
| 1969 | -33.7% | 14,395 kg/ha | 9,546 kg/ha |
| 1993 | +28.1% | 17,846 kg/ha | 22,868 kg/ha |
| 1982 | +26.3% | 14,082 kg/ha | 17,786 kg/ha |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 9,390 kg/ha | 6,499 kg/ha | 14,395 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 14,350 kg/ha | 11,018 kg/ha | 18,243 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 16,043 kg/ha | 14,000 kg/ha | 18,018 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 24,642 kg/ha | 17,846 kg/ha | 31,554 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 33,038 kg/ha | 31,196 kg/ha | 34,608 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 35,578 kg/ha | 34,205 kg/ha | 36,733 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 37,451 kg/ha | 36,895 kg/ha | 37,951 kg/ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 13 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 6,537 kg/ha compare
- 13 Ireland 39,606 kg/ha compare
- 14 Belgium 39,592 kg/ha compare
- 14 Melanesia 6,440 kg/ha compare
- 15 Kuwait 38,123 kg/ha compare
- 15 Republic of Moldova 6,035 kg/ha compare
- 16 Democratic Republic of the Congo 4,573 kg/ha compare
- 17 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 3,206 kg/ha compare
- 17 Sweden 37,311 kg/ha compare
- 18 Palestine 36,594 kg/ha compare
- 18 Timor-Leste 908.8 kg/ha compare
- 19 Argentina 35,778 kg/ha compare
- 19 Caribbean 20,136 kg/ha compare
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 potatoes — yield in South Africa?
- Potatoes — yield in South Africa was 37,951 kg/ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest potatoes — yield recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 37,951 kg/ha in 2024.
- What is the lowest potatoes — yield recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 6,499 kg/ha in 1962.
- How does South Africa rank for potatoes — yield?
- South Africa ranks 16th out of 153 countries with data for 2024.
- Is potatoes — yield rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.5%. 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 — Yield. 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.