Sorghum production in Kenya
Kenya: Sorghum production was 159,877 metric tons in 2011. ▼ Falling
Sorghum production in Kenya, 1961–2011
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in metric tons.
Analysis
In 2011, sorghum production in Kenya stood at 159,877 metric tons.
That represents a change of down 2.6% on the previous year and up 37.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sorghum production in Kenya peaked at 239,000 metric tons in 1967 and was at its lowest, 35,000 metric tons, in 1983.
Kenya ranks 15th of 41 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.
Sorghum production in Kenya, year by year
| Year | metric tons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 164,000 metric tons | — |
| 1962 | 180,000 metric tons | +9.8% |
| 1963 | 186,000 metric tons | +3.3% |
| 1964 | 190,000 metric tons | +2.2% |
| 1965 | 163,000 metric tons | -14.2% |
| 1966 | 231,000 metric tons | +41.7% |
| 1967 | 239,000 metric tons | +3.5% |
| 1968 | 220,000 metric tons | -7.9% |
| 1969 | 205,000 metric tons | -6.8% |
| 1970 | 220,000 metric tons | +7.3% |
| 1971 | 220,000 metric tons | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 230,000 metric tons | +4.5% |
| 1973 | 230,000 metric tons | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 219,138 metric tons | -4.7% |
| 1975 | 218,892 metric tons | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 223,400 metric tons | +2.1% |
| 1977 | 219,986 metric tons | -1.5% |
| 1978 | 221,000 metric tons | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 186,000 metric tons | -15.8% |
| 1980 | 200,000 metric tons | +7.5% |
| 1981 | 93,500 metric tons | -53.2% |
| 1982 | 55,800 metric tons | -40.3% |
| 1983 | 35,000 metric tons | -37.3% |
| 1984 | 97,500 metric tons | +178.6% |
| 1985 | 120,000 metric tons | +23.1% |
| 1986 | 121,573 metric tons | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 111,169 metric tons | -8.6% |
| 1988 | 144,000 metric tons | +29.5% |
| 1989 | 111,036 metric tons | -22.9% |
| 1990 | 99,952 metric tons | -10.0% |
| 1991 | 109,802 metric tons | +9.9% |
| 1992 | 128,950 metric tons | +17.4% |
| 1993 | 89,579 metric tons | -30.5% |
| 1994 | 108,000 metric tons | +20.6% |
| 1995 | 79,495 metric tons | -26.4% |
| 1996 | 79,790 metric tons | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 99,884 metric tons | +25.2% |
| 1998 | 89,446 metric tons | -10.5% |
| 1999 | 109,914 metric tons | +22.9% |
| 2000 | 81,536 metric tons | -25.8% |
| 2001 | 116,607 metric tons | +43.0% |
| 2002 | 115,584 metric tons | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 127,215 metric tons | +10.1% |
| 2004 | 69,508 metric tons | -45.4% |
| 2005 | 149,656 metric tons | +115.3% |
| 2006 | 131,188 metric tons | -12.3% |
| 2007 | 147,365 metric tons | +12.3% |
| 2008 | 54,316 metric tons | -63.1% |
| 2009 | 99,000 metric tons | +82.3% |
| 2010 | 164,066 metric tons | +65.7% |
| 2011 | 159,877 metric tons | -2.6% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 159,877 metric tons is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 93,796 metric tons, 1.7× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 159,877 metric tons is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 86,865 metric tons, 1.8× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Sorghum production in Kenya 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | +178.6% | 35,000 metric tons | 97,500 metric tons |
| 2005 | +115.3% | 69,508 metric tons | 149,656 metric tons |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 197,556 metric tons | 163,000 metric tons | 239,000 metric tons | 9 |
| 1970s | 218,842 metric tons | 186,000 metric tons | 230,000 metric tons | 10 |
| 1980s | 108,958 metric tons | 35,000 metric tons | 200,000 metric tons | 10 |
| 1990s | 99,481 metric tons | 79,495 metric tons | 128,950 metric tons | 10 |
| 2000s | 109,198 metric tons | 54,316 metric tons | 149,656 metric tons | 10 |
| 2010s | 161,972 metric tons | 159,877 metric tons | 164,066 metric tons | 2 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More agriculture & rural data for Kenya
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 16.52 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2316 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 547.24 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6779 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 12.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sorghum production in Kenya?
- Sorghum production in Kenya was 159,877 metric tons in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.
- What is the highest sorghum production recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 239,000 metric tons in 1967.
- What is the lowest sorghum production recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 35,000 metric tons in 1983.
- How does Kenya rank for sorghum production?
- Kenya ranks 15th out of 41 countries with data for 2011.
- Is sorghum production rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site, published as part of Sorghum production (metric tons). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Production data on sorghum relate to crop harvested for dry grain only. Crop harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed, or silage and those used for grazing are excluded.