Share of cereals allocated to human food in Eswatini
Eswatini: Share of cereals allocated to human food was 53.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of cereals allocated to human food in Eswatini, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Eswatini recorded 53.8% for share of cereals allocated to human food in 2023.
The figure is up 3.1% on the previous year and down 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of cereals allocated to human food in Eswatini peaked at 84.7% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 43.1%, in 2012.
Eswatini ranks 113th of 192 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Share of cereals allocated to human food in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 73.1% | — |
| 1962 | 71.6% | -2.0% |
| 1963 | 73.1% | +2.1% |
| 1964 | 75.4% | +3.1% |
| 1965 | 76.5% | +1.4% |
| 1966 | 75.4% | -1.4% |
| 1967 | 55.4% | -26.5% |
| 1968 | 70.2% | +26.7% |
| 1969 | 67.4% | -4.0% |
| 1970 | 67.7% | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 52.5% | -22.4% |
| 1972 | 48.5% | -7.7% |
| 1973 | 64.9% | +33.8% |
| 1974 | 53.0% | -18.2% |
| 1975 | 65.7% | +24.0% |
| 1976 | 62.2% | -5.4% |
| 1977 | 72.1% | +15.9% |
| 1978 | 59.1% | -18.1% |
| 1979 | 76.4% | +29.3% |
| 1980 | 58.3% | -23.6% |
| 1981 | 53.3% | -8.7% |
| 1982 | 72.0% | +35.1% |
| 1983 | 83.8% | +16.4% |
| 1984 | 43.8% | -47.7% |
| 1985 | 48.5% | +10.7% |
| 1986 | 67.5% | +39.2% |
| 1987 | 65.5% | -3.0% |
| 1988 | 61.9% | -5.6% |
| 1989 | 67.9% | +9.7% |
| 1990 | 76.1% | +12.1% |
| 1991 | 77.9% | +2.4% |
| 1992 | 71.1% | -8.7% |
| 1993 | 81.5% | +14.6% |
| 1994 | 84.7% | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 79.0% | -6.7% |
| 1996 | 82.9% | +5.0% |
| 1997 | 76.5% | -7.8% |
| 1998 | 76.2% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 75.7% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 77.8% | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 76.1% | -2.2% |
| 2002 | 76.1% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 71.2% | -6.5% |
| 2004 | 70.4% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 60.5% | -14.0% |
| 2006 | 68.9% | +13.8% |
| 2007 | 68.8% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 72.8% | +5.8% |
| 2009 | 72.9% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 58.0% | -20.5% |
| 2011 | 59.4% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 43.1% | -27.5% |
| 2013 | 56.4% | +30.9% |
| 2014 | 59.9% | +6.3% |
| 2015 | 63.7% | +6.3% |
| 2016 | 59.9% | -5.9% |
| 2017 | 59.2% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 58.6% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 57.8% | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 58.9% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 55.8% | -5.3% |
| 2022 | 52.1% | -6.5% |
| 2023 | 53.8% | +3.1% |
Eswatini compared with similar countries
- Eswatini's 53.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 75.2%, 72% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Eswatini's 53.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 88.3%, 61% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 70.9% | 55.4% | 76.5% | 9 |
| 1970s | 62.2% | 48.5% | 76.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 62.2% | 43.8% | 83.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 78.2% | 71.1% | 84.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 71.5% | 60.5% | 77.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.6% | 43.1% | 63.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.2% | 52.1% | 58.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
More agriculture & rural data for Eswatini
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.08 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0641 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 263.26 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4281 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7328 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 6.2% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of cereals allocated to human food in Eswatini?
- Share of cereals allocated to human food in Eswatini was 53.8% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of cereals allocated to human food recorded in Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 84.7% in 1994.
- What is the lowest share of cereals allocated to human food recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.1% in 2012.
- How does Eswatini rank for share of cereals allocated to human food?
- Eswatini ranks 113th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of cereals allocated to human food rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Eswatini data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of cereals allocated to human food. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of cereals available for domestic use – after accounting for trade – that is allocated to direct human consumption, relative to the total used for human food, animal feed, and industrial purposes. This excludes cereals used for seed, processing, and losses.