Soybean yields in Zambia
Zambia: Soybean yields was 1.08 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
1.08 tonnes per hectare
Change on year
down 14.6%
World rank
81st
of 106 countries
All-time high
2.39 tonnes per hectare
in 2012
All-time low
0.3075 tonnes per hectare
in 1992
Years of data
52
1973–2024
Soybean yields in Zambia, 1973–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per hectare.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 1.08 tonnes per hectare for soybean yields in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.6% on the previous year and down 42.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, soybean yields in Zambia peaked at 2.39 tonnes per hectare in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.3075 tonnes per hectare, in 1992.
Zambia ranks 81st of 106 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Soybean yields in Zambia, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 0.865 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 1974 | 0.8 tonnes per hectare | -7.5% |
| 1975 | 0.9331 tonnes per hectare | +16.6% |
| 1976 | 1.14 tonnes per hectare | +22.6% |
| 1977 | 1.06 tonnes per hectare | -7.2% |
| 1978 | 1.29 tonnes per hectare | +21.8% |
| 1979 | 0.4977 tonnes per hectare | -61.5% |
| 1980 | 0.5376 tonnes per hectare | +8.0% |
| 1981 | 0.7496 tonnes per hectare | +39.4% |
| 1982 | 1.38 tonnes per hectare | +83.8% |
| 1983 | 1.6 tonnes per hectare | +16.4% |
| 1984 | 1.4 tonnes per hectare | -12.8% |
| 1985 | 1.5 tonnes per hectare | +7.1% |
| 1986 | 1.15 tonnes per hectare | -23.4% |
| 1987 | 0.7986 tonnes per hectare | -30.4% |
| 1988 | 1.03 tonnes per hectare | +29.6% |
| 1989 | 0.9647 tonnes per hectare | -6.8% |
| 1990 | 0.8986 tonnes per hectare | -6.9% |
| 1991 | 0.9491 tonnes per hectare | +5.6% |
| 1992 | 0.3075 tonnes per hectare | -67.6% |
| 1993 | 1.31 tonnes per hectare | +325.7% |
| 1994 | 0.9679 tonnes per hectare | -26.1% |
| 1995 | 0.9759 tonnes per hectare | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 1.57 tonnes per hectare | +61.2% |
| 1997 | 1.7 tonnes per hectare | +7.8% |
| 1998 | 1.06 tonnes per hectare | -37.5% |
| 1999 | 2.28 tonnes per hectare | +115.1% |
| 2000 | 1.71 tonnes per hectare | -25.1% |
| 2001 | 0.6043 tonnes per hectare | -64.6% |
| 2002 | 1.12 tonnes per hectare | +86.2% |
| 2003 | 1.2 tonnes per hectare | +6.7% |
| 2004 | 1.3 tonnes per hectare | +8.1% |
| 2005 | 1.64 tonnes per hectare | +26.2% |
| 2006 | 1.37 tonnes per hectare | -16.3% |
| 2007 | 1.6 tonnes per hectare | +16.8% |
| 2008 | 1.86 tonnes per hectare | +16.4% |
| 2009 | 1.89 tonnes per hectare | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 1.84 tonnes per hectare | -2.6% |
| 2011 | 1.94 tonnes per hectare | +5.5% |
| 2012 | 2.39 tonnes per hectare | +23.2% |
| 2013 | 2.15 tonnes per hectare | -10.1% |
| 2014 | 1.88 tonnes per hectare | -12.5% |
| 2015 | 2.02 tonnes per hectare | +7.3% |
| 2016 | 1.94 tonnes per hectare | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 1.56 tonnes per hectare | -19.7% |
| 2018 | 1.58 tonnes per hectare | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 1.43 tonnes per hectare | -9.1% |
| 2020 | 1.41 tonnes per hectare | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 1.32 tonnes per hectare | -6.0% |
| 2022 | 1.27 tonnes per hectare | -4.0% |
| 2023 | 1.26 tonnes per hectare | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 1.08 tonnes per hectare | -14.6% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 1.08 tonnes per hectare is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.26 tonnes per hectare, 85% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 1.08 tonnes per hectare is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.05 tonnes per hectare, 1.0× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Soybean yields 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +325.7% | 0.3075 tonnes per hectare | 1.31 tonnes per hectare |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.9421 tonnes per hectare | 0.4977 tonnes per hectare | 1.29 tonnes per hectare | 7 |
| 1980s | 1.11 tonnes per hectare | 0.5376 tonnes per hectare | 1.6 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.2 tonnes per hectare | 0.3075 tonnes per hectare | 2.28 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.43 tonnes per hectare | 0.6043 tonnes per hectare | 1.89 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.87 tonnes per hectare | 1.43 tonnes per hectare | 2.39 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.27 tonnes per hectare | 1.08 tonnes per hectare | 1.41 tonnes per hectare | 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 soybean yields in Zambia?
- Soybean yields in Zambia was 1.08 tonnes per hectare 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 soybean yields recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.39 tonnes per hectare in 2012.
- What is the lowest soybean yields recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3075 tonnes per hectare in 1992.
- How does Zambia rank for soybean yields?
- Zambia ranks 81st out of 106 countries with data for 2024.
- Is soybean yields rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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 Soybean yields. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Yield is the amount produced per unit of land used, measured in tonnes per hectare.