Sorghum — Area harvested in Africa

Africa: Sorghum — Area harvested was 30.75 million ha in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
30.75 million ha
Change on year
up 12.6%
Rank
2nd
of 28 groups
All-time high
30.75 million ha
in 2024
All-time low
12.51 million ha
in 1979
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Sorghum — Area harvested in Africa, 1961–2024

010.0M20.0M30.0M196119922024

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

Analysis

Africa recorded 30.75 million ha for sorghum — area harvested in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.

The figure is up 12.6% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sorghum — area harvested in Africa peaked at 30.75 million ha in 2024 and was at its lowest, 12.51 million ha, in 1979.

Africa ranks 2nd of 28 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.

Sorghum — Area harvested in Africa, year by year

Annual values for Sorghum — Area harvested in Africa, 1961 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1961 13.21 million ha —
1962 13.32 million ha +0.8%
1963 13.89 million ha +4.3%
1964 13.83 million ha -0.4%
1965 14.38 million ha +3.9%
1966 13.42 million ha -6.7%
1967 15.08 million ha +12.4%
1968 13.34 million ha -11.5%
1969 17.37 million ha +30.2%
1970 15.43 million ha -11.1%
1971 15.13 million ha -1.9%
1972 12.94 million ha -14.5%
1973 14.23 million ha +10.0%
1974 14.40 million ha +1.2%
1975 13.04 million ha -9.4%
1976 15.32 million ha +17.5%
1977 14.05 million ha -8.3%
1978 14.06 million ha +0.0%
1979 12.51 million ha -11.0%
1980 14.14 million ha +13.1%
1981 13.89 million ha -1.8%
1982 13.49 million ha -2.9%
1983 13.81 million ha +2.4%
1984 15.59 million ha +12.9%
1985 18.59 million ha +19.3%
1986 18.89 million ha +1.6%
1987 17.30 million ha -8.5%
1988 19.58 million ha +13.2%
1989 18.04 million ha -7.9%
1990 16.46 million ha -8.8%
1991 20.06 million ha +21.9%
1992 21.58 million ha +7.6%
1993 20.00 million ha -7.3%
1994 22.73 million ha +13.7%
1995 21.60 million ha -5.0%
1996 23.48 million ha +8.7%
1997 23.84 million ha +1.5%
1998 23.38 million ha -1.9%
1999 21.40 million ha -8.5%
2000 21.16 million ha -1.2%
2001 23.52 million ha +11.2%
2002 22.68 million ha -3.6%
2003 25.04 million ha +10.4%
2004 21.78 million ha -13.0%
2005 28.70 million ha +31.8%
2006 26.32 million ha -8.3%
2007 27.31 million ha +3.8%
2008 27.62 million ha +1.1%
2009 24.83 million ha -10.1%
2010 26.18 million ha +5.4%
2011 26.70 million ha +2.0%
2012 24.61 million ha -7.8%
2013 28.17 million ha +14.4%
2014 29.27 million ha +3.9%
2015 26.13 million ha -10.7%
2016 30.65 million ha +17.3%
2017 27.89 million ha -9.0%
2018 29.86 million ha +7.0%
2019 27.98 million ha -6.3%
2020 27.92 million ha -0.2%
2021 28.66 million ha +2.7%
2022 29.09 million ha +1.5%
2023 27.32 million ha -6.1%
2024 30.75 million ha +12.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 14.21 million ha 13.21 million ha 17.37 million ha 9
1970s 14.11 million ha 12.51 million ha 15.43 million ha 10
1980s 16.33 million ha 13.49 million ha 19.58 million ha 10
1990s 21.45 million ha 16.46 million ha 23.84 million ha 10
2000s 24.90 million ha 21.16 million ha 28.70 million ha 10
2010s 27.74 million ha 24.61 million ha 30.65 million ha 10
2020s 28.75 million ha 27.32 million ha 30.75 million ha 5

Countries ranked near Africa

  1. 1 Sudan 8.53 million ha compare
  2. 2 Sudan (former) 7.26 million ha compare
  3. 3 Nigeria 6.10 million ha compare
  4. 4 India 4.61 million ha compare
  5. 4 United Republic of Tanzania 750,000 ha compare
  6. 5 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 648,842 ha compare
  7. 5 Niger 3.43 million ha compare

See the full ranking of 163 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Africa

All data for Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is sorghum — area harvested in Africa?
Sorghum — area harvested in Africa was 30.75 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest sorghum — area harvested recorded in Africa?
The highest recorded value was 30.75 million ha in 2024.
What is the lowest sorghum — area harvested recorded in Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 12.51 million ha in 1979.
How does Africa rank for sorghum — area harvested?
Africa ranks 2nd out of 28 groups with data for 2024.
Is sorghum — area harvested rising or falling in Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Sorghum — Area harvested. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Sorghum — Area harvested in Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 12 October 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/sorghum-area-harvested/africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Sorghum — Area harvested
Unit
ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
163 places, 8,610 data points, 1961–2024
Last refreshed

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.