Raw milk of cattle — Production in South Africa

South Africa: Raw milk of cattle — Production was 3.88 million t in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
3.88 million t
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
45th
of 240 countries
All-time high
3.88 million t
in 2024
All-time low
2.12 million t
in 1964
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Raw milk of cattle — Production in South Africa, 1961–2024

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M196119922024

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in t.

Analysis

The most recent figure for raw milk of cattle — production in South Africa is 3.88 million t, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.

The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 16.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, raw milk of cattle — production in South Africa peaked at 3.88 million t in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.12 million t, in 1964.

That places South Africa 45th out of 240 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.

Raw milk of cattle — Production in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Raw milk of cattle — Production in South Africa, 1961 to 2024.
Year t Change
1961 2.56 million t —
1962 2.50 million t -2.1%
1963 2.42 million t -3.5%
1964 2.12 million t -12.5%
1965 2.53 million t +19.6%
1966 2.54 million t +0.6%
1967 2.78 million t +9.3%
1968 2.95 million t +6.1%
1969 2.85 million t -3.4%
1970 2.91 million t +2.2%
1971 2.69 million t -7.7%
1972 2.88 million t +7.4%
1973 2.79 million t -3.2%
1974 2.48 million t -11.2%
1975 2.50 million t +0.9%
1976 2.54 million t +1.6%
1977 2.53 million t -0.4%
1978 2.37 million t -6.3%
1979 2.45 million t +3.4%
1980 2.50 million t +2.0%
1981 2.50 million t +0.0%
1982 2.55 million t +2.0%
1983 2.55 million t +0.0%
1984 2.40 million t -5.9%
1985 2.20 million t -8.3%
1986 2.20 million t +0.0%
1987 2.30 million t +4.5%
1988 2.35 million t +2.2%
1989 2.35 million t +0.0%
1990 2.48 million t +5.3%
1991 2.71 million t +9.3%
1992 2.51 million t -7.4%
1993 2.44 million t -2.7%
1994 2.39 million t -2.2%
1995 2.62 million t +10.0%
1996 2.84 million t +8.2%
1997 2.64 million t -7.1%
1998 2.85 million t +8.1%
1999 3.00 million t +5.1%
2000 2.31 million t -23.0%
2001 2.67 million t +15.8%
2002 2.51 million t -6.1%
2003 2.59 million t +3.4%
2004 2.64 million t +1.9%
2005 3.04 million t +15.3%
2006 2.95 million t -3.1%
2007 2.99 million t +1.3%
2008 3.04 million t +1.8%
2009 3.00 million t -1.5%
2010 3.12 million t +4.2%
2011 3.11 million t -0.5%
2012 3.21 million t +3.4%
2013 3.26 million t +1.4%
2014 3.34 million t +2.4%
2015 3.54 million t +6.0%
2016 3.55 million t +0.3%
2017 3.64 million t +2.6%
2018 3.75 million t +3.0%
2019 3.87 million t +3.2%
2020 3.85 million t -0.5%
2021 3.83 million t -0.7%
2022 3.76 million t -1.6%
2023 3.81 million t +1.2%
2024 3.88 million t +1.9%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 3.88 million t is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 485,036 t, 8.0× the median. (50 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 3.88 million t is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 150,883 t, 25.7× the median. (45 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 2.58 million t 2.12 million t 2.95 million t 9
1970s 2.61 million t 2.37 million t 2.91 million t 10
1980s 2.39 million t 2.20 million t 2.55 million t 10
1990s 2.65 million t 2.39 million t 3.00 million t 10
2000s 2.77 million t 2.31 million t 3.04 million t 10
2010s 3.44 million t 3.11 million t 3.87 million t 10
2020s 3.83 million t 3.76 million t 3.88 million t 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 42 Yugoslav SFR 4.25 million t compare
  2. 43 United Republic of Tanzania 4.13 million t compare
  3. 44 Austria 4.02 million t compare
  4. 46 Uganda 3.85 million t compare
  5. 47 Romania 3.72 million t compare
  6. 48 Switzerland 3.70 million t compare

See the full ranking of 270 places →

More agriculture & rural data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is raw milk of cattle — production in South Africa?
Raw milk of cattle — production in South Africa was 3.88 million t in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest raw milk of cattle — production recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 3.88 million t in 2024.
What is the lowest raw milk of cattle — production recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 2.12 million t in 1964.
How does South Africa rank for raw milk of cattle — production?
South Africa ranks 45th out of 240 countries with data for 2024.
Is raw milk of cattle — production rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.4%. 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 Raw milk of cattle — Production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Raw milk of cattle — Production in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/raw-milk-of-cattle-production-2/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Raw milk of cattle — Production
Unit
t
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
270 places, 15,304 data points, 1961–2024
Last refreshed

This dataset provides annual statistics on crop and livestock production across countries and territories. For crops, data are provided on area harvested, production quantities and yields. For livestock, data are provided on animal stocks, numbers of producing and slaughtered animals, and the production of meat, milk, eggs and other livestock products. The dataset also includes information on production quantities for selected processed products, such as vegetable oils, sugar, fibres, beer, wine and major dairy products.