Sugar cane — Area harvested in South Africa
South Africa: Sugar cane — Area harvested was 242,267 ha in 2024. ▲ Rising
Sugar cane — Area harvested in South Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 242,267 ha for sugar cane — area harvested in 2024.
That represents a change of down 8.4% on the previous year and down 11.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sugar cane — area harvested in South Africa peaked at 325,956 ha in 2003 and was at its lowest, 96,000 ha, in 1961.
That places South Africa 15th out of 103 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Sugar cane — Area harvested in South Africa, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 96,000 ha | — |
| 1962 | 96,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 121,033 ha | +26.1% |
| 1964 | 132,856 ha | +9.8% |
| 1965 | 152,190 ha | +14.6% |
| 1966 | 173,907 ha | +14.3% |
| 1967 | 200,125 ha | +15.1% |
| 1968 | 182,118 ha | -9.0% |
| 1969 | 184,727 ha | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 165,444 ha | -10.4% |
| 1971 | 183,237 ha | +10.8% |
| 1972 | 180,404 ha | -1.5% |
| 1973 | 180,684 ha | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 187,350 ha | +3.7% |
| 1975 | 186,569 ha | -0.4% |
| 1976 | 201,400 ha | +7.9% |
| 1977 | 217,073 ha | +7.8% |
| 1978 | 212,136 ha | -2.3% |
| 1979 | 218,101 ha | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 212,627 ha | -2.5% |
| 1981 | 257,562 ha | +21.1% |
| 1982 | 266,289 ha | +3.4% |
| 1983 | 232,027 ha | -12.9% |
| 1984 | 273,014 ha | +17.7% |
| 1985 | 266,440 ha | -2.4% |
| 1986 | 275,727 ha | +3.5% |
| 1987 | 274,254 ha | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 276,420 ha | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 258,495 ha | -6.5% |
| 1990 | 264,687 ha | +2.4% |
| 1991 | 276,015 ha | +4.3% |
| 1992 | 268,301 ha | -2.8% |
| 1993 | 269,677 ha | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 284,237 ha | +5.4% |
| 1995 | 273,112 ha | -3.9% |
| 1996 | 299,655 ha | +9.7% |
| 1997 | 296,576 ha | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 316,357 ha | +6.7% |
| 1999 | 313,294 ha | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 322,858 ha | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 325,704 ha | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 321,234 ha | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 325,956 ha | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 316,010 ha | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 318,856 ha | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 305,600 ha | -4.2% |
| 2007 | 307,380 ha | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 287,380 ha | -6.5% |
| 2009 | 278,133 ha | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 271,080 ha | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 252,804 ha | -6.7% |
| 2012 | 257,094 ha | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 265,939 ha | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 272,930 ha | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 258,490 ha | -5.3% |
| 2016 | 249,920 ha | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 253,912 ha | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 276,840 ha | +9.0% |
| 2019 | 275,942 ha | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 249,250 ha | -9.7% |
| 2021 | 239,152 ha | -4.1% |
| 2022 | 258,403 ha | +8.0% |
| 2023 | 264,487 ha | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 242,267 ha | -8.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 148,773 ha | 96,000 ha | 200,125 ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 193,240 ha | 165,444 ha | 218,101 ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 259,286 ha | 212,627 ha | 276,420 ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 286,191 ha | 264,687 ha | 316,357 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 310,911 ha | 278,133 ha | 325,956 ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 263,495 ha | 249,920 ha | 276,840 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 250,712 ha | 239,152 ha | 264,487 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 sugar cane — area harvested in South Africa?
- Sugar cane — area harvested in South Africa was 242,267 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest sugar cane — area harvested recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 325,956 ha in 2003.
- What is the lowest sugar cane — area harvested recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 96,000 ha in 1961.
- How does South Africa rank for sugar cane — area harvested?
- South Africa ranks 15th out of 103 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sugar cane — area harvested rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.2%. 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 Sugar cane — 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.