Soya beans — Yield in South Africa
South Africa: Soya beans — Yield was 1,606 kg/ha in 2024. ▲ Rising
Soya beans — Yield in South Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kg/ha.
Analysis
In 2024, soya beans — yield in South Africa stood at 1,606 kg/ha.
The figure is down 33.4% on the previous year and down 14.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, soya beans — yield in South Africa peaked at 2,412 kg/ha in 2023 and was at its lowest, 250 kg/ha, in 1972.
South Africa ranks 61st of 98 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Soya beans — Yield in South Africa, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 526.2 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | 526.2 kg/ha | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 471.8 kg/ha | -10.3% |
| 1964 | 428.6 kg/ha | -9.2% |
| 1965 | 428.6 kg/ha | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 400 kg/ha | -6.7% |
| 1967 | 398.2 kg/ha | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 326.8 kg/ha | -17.9% |
| 1969 | 546.7 kg/ha | +67.3% |
| 1970 | 543.6 kg/ha | -0.6% |
| 1971 | 414.3 kg/ha | -23.8% |
| 1972 | 250 kg/ha | -39.7% |
| 1973 | 511.1 kg/ha | +104.4% |
| 1974 | 1,646 kg/ha | +222.1% |
| 1975 | 945.8 kg/ha | -42.5% |
| 1976 | 813.6 kg/ha | -14.0% |
| 1977 | 1,188 kg/ha | +46.0% |
| 1978 | 1,579 kg/ha | +32.9% |
| 1979 | 1,015 kg/ha | -35.7% |
| 1980 | 1,410 kg/ha | +38.9% |
| 1981 | 1,254 kg/ha | -11.0% |
| 1982 | 974.9 kg/ha | -22.3% |
| 1983 | 956.7 kg/ha | -1.9% |
| 1984 | 1,111 kg/ha | +16.2% |
| 1985 | 1,735 kg/ha | +56.1% |
| 1986 | 1,263 kg/ha | -27.2% |
| 1987 | 1,058 kg/ha | -16.3% |
| 1988 | 1,632 kg/ha | +54.4% |
| 1989 | 1,786 kg/ha | +9.4% |
| 1990 | 1,938 kg/ha | +8.5% |
| 1991 | 1,448 kg/ha | -25.3% |
| 1992 | 757.8 kg/ha | -47.7% |
| 1993 | 1,491 kg/ha | +96.8% |
| 1994 | 1,147 kg/ha | -23.1% |
| 1995 | 895.4 kg/ha | -22.0% |
| 1996 | 1,176 kg/ha | +31.4% |
| 1997 | 1,380 kg/ha | +17.3% |
| 1998 | 1,720 kg/ha | +24.6% |
| 1999 | 1,525 kg/ha | -11.3% |
| 2000 | 1,641 kg/ha | +7.6% |
| 2001 | 1,686 kg/ha | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 1,796 kg/ha | +6.5% |
| 2003 | 1,363 kg/ha | -24.1% |
| 2004 | 1,630 kg/ha | +19.5% |
| 2005 | 1,817 kg/ha | +11.5% |
| 2006 | 1,762 kg/ha | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 1,120 kg/ha | -36.4% |
| 2008 | 1,705 kg/ha | +52.2% |
| 2009 | 2,170 kg/ha | +27.3% |
| 2010 | 1,817 kg/ha | -16.3% |
| 2011 | 1,699 kg/ha | -6.5% |
| 2012 | 1,377 kg/ha | -18.9% |
| 2013 | 1,519 kg/ha | +10.3% |
| 2014 | 1,885 kg/ha | +24.1% |
| 2015 | 1,557 kg/ha | -17.4% |
| 2016 | 1,476 kg/ha | -5.2% |
| 2017 | 2,293 kg/ha | +55.4% |
| 2018 | 1,956 kg/ha | -14.7% |
| 2019 | 1,602 kg/ha | -18.1% |
| 2020 | 1,767 kg/ha | +10.3% |
| 2021 | 2,294 kg/ha | +29.8% |
| 2022 | 2,410 kg/ha | +5.1% |
| 2023 | 2,412 kg/ha | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 1,606 kg/ha | -33.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1,606 kg/ha is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1,932 kg/ha, 83% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1,606 kg/ha is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,022 kg/ha, 1.6× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Soya beans — Yield in South Africa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | +222.1% | 511.1 kg/ha | 1,646 kg/ha |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 450.34 kg/ha | 326.8 kg/ha | 546.7 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 890.67 kg/ha | 250 kg/ha | 1,646 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,318 kg/ha | 956.7 kg/ha | 1,786 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,348 kg/ha | 757.8 kg/ha | 1,938 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,669 kg/ha | 1,120 kg/ha | 2,170 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,718 kg/ha | 1,377 kg/ha | 2,293 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,098 kg/ha | 1,606 kg/ha | 2,412 kg/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)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is soya beans — yield in South Africa?
- Soya beans — yield in South Africa was 1,606 kg/ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest soya beans — yield recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2,412 kg/ha in 2023.
- What is the lowest soya beans — yield recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 250 kg/ha in 1972.
- How does South Africa rank for soya beans — yield?
- South Africa ranks 61st out of 98 countries with data for 2024.
- Is soya beans — yield rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 — Yield. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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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.