Sorghum — Production in Zambia
Zambia: Sorghum — Production was 2,865 t in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Sorghum — Production in Zambia, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in t.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 2,865 t for sorghum — production in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 64 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 58.1% on the previous year and down 75.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sorghum — production in Zambia peaked at 61,058 t in 1975 and was at its lowest, 2,865 t, in 2024.
Zambia ranks 83rd of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Sorghum — Production in Zambia, year by year
| Year | t | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 40,000 t | — |
| 1962 | 41,000 t | +2.5% |
| 1963 | 41,000 t | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 43,000 t | +4.9% |
| 1965 | 44,000 t | +2.3% |
| 1966 | 47,000 t | +6.8% |
| 1967 | 48,000 t | +2.1% |
| 1968 | 48,000 t | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 50,000 t | +4.2% |
| 1970 | 45,000 t | -10.0% |
| 1971 | 52,535 t | +16.7% |
| 1972 | 47,264 t | -10.0% |
| 1973 | 40,436 t | -14.4% |
| 1974 | 23,140 t | -42.8% |
| 1975 | 61,058 t | +163.9% |
| 1976 | 32,380 t | -47.0% |
| 1977 | 33,730 t | +4.2% |
| 1978 | 35,180 t | +4.3% |
| 1979 | 20,000 t | -43.1% |
| 1980 | 15,000 t | -25.0% |
| 1981 | 13,950 t | -7.0% |
| 1982 | 13,985 t | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 12,518 t | -10.5% |
| 1984 | 14,966 t | +19.6% |
| 1985 | 20,227 t | +35.2% |
| 1986 | 44,996 t | +122.5% |
| 1987 | 26,191 t | -41.8% |
| 1988 | 36,127 t | +37.9% |
| 1989 | 33,757 t | -6.6% |
| 1990 | 19,591 t | -42.0% |
| 1991 | 20,939 t | +6.9% |
| 1992 | 13,007 t | -37.9% |
| 1993 | 35,448 t | +172.5% |
| 1994 | 35,070 t | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 26,523 t | -24.4% |
| 1996 | 35,640 t | +34.4% |
| 1997 | 30,729 t | -13.8% |
| 1998 | 25,399 t | -17.3% |
| 1999 | 25,493 t | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 30,245 t | +18.6% |
| 2001 | 16,800 t | -44.5% |
| 2002 | 16,802 t | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 20,300 t | +20.8% |
| 2004 | 24,466 t | +20.5% |
| 2005 | 18,714 t | -23.5% |
| 2006 | 21,047 t | +12.5% |
| 2007 | 12,800 t | -39.2% |
| 2008 | 9,982 t | -22.0% |
| 2009 | 21,829 t | +118.7% |
| 2010 | 27,732 t | +27.0% |
| 2011 | 18,457 t | -33.4% |
| 2012 | 15,379 t | -16.7% |
| 2013 | 14,971 t | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 11,557 t | -22.8% |
| 2015 | 8,123 t | -29.7% |
| 2016 | 14,106 t | +73.7% |
| 2017 | 17,337 t | +22.9% |
| 2018 | 13,130 t | -24.3% |
| 2019 | 6,684 t | -49.1% |
| 2020 | 20,011 t | +199.4% |
| 2021 | 18,372 t | -8.2% |
| 2022 | 14,843 t | -19.2% |
| 2023 | 6,836 t | -53.9% |
| 2024 | 2,865 t | -58.1% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 2,865 t is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 29,359 t, 10% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 2,865 t is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 127,000 t, 2% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Sorghum — Production in Zambia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +199.4% | 6,684 t | 20,011 t |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 44,667 t | 40,000 t | 50,000 t | 9 |
| 1970s | 39,072 t | 20,000 t | 61,058 t | 10 |
| 1980s | 23,172 t | 12,518 t | 44,996 t | 10 |
| 1990s | 26,784 t | 13,007 t | 35,640 t | 10 |
| 2000s | 19,298 t | 9,982 t | 30,245 t | 10 |
| 2010s | 14,748 t | 6,684 t | 27,732 t | 10 |
| 2020s | 12,585 t | 2,865 t | 20,011 t | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More agriculture & rural data for Zambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 65.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0411 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 54.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5408 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sorghum — production in Zambia?
- Sorghum — production in Zambia was 2,865 t in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest sorghum — production recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 61,058 t in 1975.
- What is the lowest sorghum — production recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,865 t in 2024.
- How does Zambia rank for sorghum — production?
- Zambia ranks 83rd out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sorghum — production rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 75.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Sorghum — Production. 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.