Soy production, yield and area harvested in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Soy production, yield and area harvested was 6,196 tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Soy production, yield and area harvested in Sri Lanka, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 6,196 tonnes for soy production, yield and area harvested in 2024.
The figure is down 20.4% on the previous year and down 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, soy production, yield and area harvested in Sri Lanka peaked at 14,363 tonnes in 2017 and was at its lowest, 30 tonnes, in 1961.
That places Sri Lanka 72nd out of 116 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Soy production, yield and area harvested in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 30 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 30 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 30 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 30 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 30 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 30 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 50 tonnes | +66.7% |
| 1968 | 50 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 50 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 70 tonnes | +40.0% |
| 1971 | 90 tonnes | +28.6% |
| 1972 | 161 tonnes | +78.9% |
| 1973 | 227 tonnes | +41.0% |
| 1974 | 1,261 tonnes | +455.5% |
| 1975 | 1,162 tonnes | -7.9% |
| 1976 | 737 tonnes | -36.6% |
| 1977 | 1,112 tonnes | +50.9% |
| 1978 | 2,881 tonnes | +159.1% |
| 1979 | 1,333 tonnes | -53.7% |
| 1980 | 1,083 tonnes | -18.8% |
| 1981 | 2,388 tonnes | +120.5% |
| 1982 | 11,120 tonnes | +365.7% |
| 1983 | 10,608 tonnes | -4.6% |
| 1984 | 7,982 tonnes | -24.8% |
| 1985 | 2,723 tonnes | -65.9% |
| 1986 | 3,804 tonnes | +39.7% |
| 1987 | 3,719 tonnes | -2.2% |
| 1988 | 1,720 tonnes | -53.8% |
| 1989 | 1,500 tonnes | -12.8% |
| 1990 | 3,200 tonnes | +113.3% |
| 1991 | 2,000 tonnes | -37.5% |
| 1992 | 1,350 tonnes | -32.5% |
| 1993 | 830 tonnes | -38.5% |
| 1994 | 976 tonnes | +17.6% |
| 1995 | 2,367 tonnes | +142.5% |
| 1996 | 726 tonnes | -69.3% |
| 1997 | 420 tonnes | -42.1% |
| 1998 | 599 tonnes | +42.6% |
| 1999 | 800 tonnes | +33.6% |
| 2000 | 640 tonnes | -20.0% |
| 2001 | 620 tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 1,160 tonnes | +87.1% |
| 2003 | 2,960 tonnes | +155.2% |
| 2004 | 1,890 tonnes | -36.1% |
| 2005 | 4,990 tonnes | +164.0% |
| 2006 | 5,180 tonnes | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 4,800 tonnes | -7.3% |
| 2008 | 3,030 tonnes | -36.9% |
| 2009 | 3,790 tonnes | +25.1% |
| 2010 | 7,520 tonnes | +98.4% |
| 2011 | 3,840 tonnes | -48.9% |
| 2012 | 1,670 tonnes | -56.5% |
| 2013 | 13,445 tonnes | +705.1% |
| 2014 | 6,790 tonnes | -49.5% |
| 2015 | 6,764 tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 9,830 tonnes | +45.3% |
| 2017 | 14,363 tonnes | +46.1% |
| 2018 | 2,500 tonnes | -82.6% |
| 2019 | 2,197 tonnes | -12.1% |
| 2020 | 7,879 tonnes | +258.6% |
| 2021 | 3,794 tonnes | -51.9% |
| 2022 | 3,842 tonnes | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 7,780 tonnes | +102.5% |
| 2024 | 6,196 tonnes | -20.4% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 6,196 tonnes is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 31,555 tonnes, 20% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 6,196 tonnes is below the median for South Asia, which is 28,520 tonnes, 22% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Soy production, yield and area harvested in Sri Lanka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | +705.1% | 1,670 tonnes | 13,445 tonnes |
| 1974 | +455.5% | 227 tonnes | 1,261 tonnes |
| 1982 | +365.7% | 2,388 tonnes | 11,120 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 36.67 tonnes | 30 tonnes | 50 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 903.4 tonnes | 70 tonnes | 2,881 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 4,665 tonnes | 1,083 tonnes | 11,120 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,327 tonnes | 420 tonnes | 3,200 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,906 tonnes | 620 tonnes | 5,180 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 6,892 tonnes | 1,670 tonnes | 14,363 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,898 tonnes | 3,794 tonnes | 7,879 tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More agriculture & rural data for Sri Lanka
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0836 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 418.3 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9172 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7955 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is soy production, yield and area harvested in Sri Lanka?
- Soy production, yield and area harvested in Sri Lanka was 6,196 tonnes in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest soy production, yield and area harvested recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 14,363 tonnes in 2017.
- What is the lowest soy production, yield and area harvested recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 30 tonnes in 1961.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for soy production, yield and area harvested?
- Sri Lanka ranks 72nd out of 116 countries with data for 2024.
- Is soy production, yield and area harvested rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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 Soy production, yield and area harvested. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Shown is the change in soy production, yield and area used to grow the crop over time.