Soya beans — Area harvested in South Africa
South Africa: Soya beans — Area harvested was 1.15 million ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Soya beans — Area harvested in South Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
In 2024, soya beans — area harvested in South Africa stood at 1.15 million ha. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 128.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, soya beans — area harvested in South Africa peaked at 1.15 million ha in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5,000 ha, in 1961.
That places South Africa 10th out of 107 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Soya beans — Area harvested in South Africa, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 5,000 ha | — |
| 1962 | 5,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 5,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 7,000 ha | +40.0% |
| 1965 | 7,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 7,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 11,300 ha | +61.4% |
| 1968 | 12,545 ha | +11.0% |
| 1969 | 13,354 ha | +6.4% |
| 1970 | 14,164 ha | +6.1% |
| 1971 | 7,000 ha | -50.6% |
| 1972 | 8,000 ha | +14.3% |
| 1973 | 9,000 ha | +12.5% |
| 1974 | 13,000 ha | +44.4% |
| 1975 | 24,000 ha | +84.6% |
| 1976 | 22,000 ha | -8.3% |
| 1977 | 25,000 ha | +13.6% |
| 1978 | 25,400 ha | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 26,000 ha | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 28,300 ha | +8.8% |
| 1981 | 22,000 ha | -22.3% |
| 1982 | 22,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 30,000 ha | +36.4% |
| 1984 | 35,000 ha | +16.7% |
| 1985 | 23,000 ha | -34.3% |
| 1986 | 30,000 ha | +30.4% |
| 1987 | 33,000 ha | +10.0% |
| 1988 | 40,000 ha | +21.2% |
| 1989 | 44,000 ha | +10.0% |
| 1990 | 61,000 ha | +38.6% |
| 1991 | 87,000 ha | +42.6% |
| 1992 | 83,000 ha | -4.6% |
| 1993 | 46,000 ha | -44.6% |
| 1994 | 55,000 ha | +19.6% |
| 1995 | 65,000 ha | +18.2% |
| 1996 | 68,000 ha | +4.6% |
| 1997 | 71,000 ha | +4.4% |
| 1998 | 125,000 ha | +76.1% |
| 1999 | 130,500 ha | +4.4% |
| 2000 | 93,790 ha | -28.1% |
| 2001 | 134,150 ha | +43.0% |
| 2002 | 124,150 ha | -7.5% |
| 2003 | 100,130 ha | -19.3% |
| 2004 | 135,000 ha | +34.8% |
| 2005 | 150,000 ha | +11.1% |
| 2006 | 240,570 ha | +60.4% |
| 2007 | 183,000 ha | -23.9% |
| 2008 | 165,400 ha | -9.6% |
| 2009 | 237,750 ha | +43.7% |
| 2010 | 311,450 ha | +31.0% |
| 2011 | 418,000 ha | +34.2% |
| 2012 | 472,000 ha | +12.9% |
| 2013 | 516,500 ha | +9.4% |
| 2014 | 502,900 ha | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 687,300 ha | +36.7% |
| 2016 | 502,800 ha | -26.8% |
| 2017 | 573,950 ha | +14.2% |
| 2018 | 787,200 ha | +37.2% |
| 2019 | 730,500 ha | -7.2% |
| 2020 | 705,000 ha | -3.5% |
| 2021 | 827,100 ha | +17.3% |
| 2022 | 925,300 ha | +11.9% |
| 2023 | 1.15 million ha | +24.1% |
| 2024 | 1.15 million ha | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8,133 ha | 5,000 ha | 13,354 ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 17,356 ha | 7,000 ha | 26,000 ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 30,730 ha | 22,000 ha | 44,000 ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 79,150 ha | 46,000 ha | 130,500 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 156,394 ha | 93,790 ha | 240,570 ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 550,260 ha | 311,450 ha | 787,200 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 951,240 ha | 705,000 ha | 1.15 million ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0283 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 186.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.812 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3618 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture share gdp 2.83 (2025)
- Value added in the agricultural sector as of gdp vs gdp per capita 2.83 (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is soya beans — area harvested in South Africa?
- Soya beans — area harvested in South Africa was 1.15 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest soya beans — area harvested recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.15 million ha in 2024.
- What is the lowest soya beans — area harvested recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 5,000 ha in 1961.
- How does South Africa rank for soya beans — area harvested?
- South Africa ranks 10th out of 107 countries with data for 2024.
- Is soya beans — area harvested rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 128.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Soya beans — Area harvested. 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.