Sugar cane — Area harvested in Southern Africa

Southern Africa: Sugar cane — Area harvested was 302,267 ha in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
302,267 ha
Change on year
down 6.8%
Rank
17th
of 25 groups
All-time high
374,263 ha
in 2003
All-time low
101,452 ha
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Sugar cane — Area harvested in Southern Africa, 1961–2024

100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k196119922024

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.

Analysis

The most recent figure for sugar cane — area harvested in Southern Africa is 302,267 ha, measured in 2024.

The figure is down 6.8% on the previous year and down 8.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sugar cane — area harvested in Southern Africa peaked at 374,263 ha in 2003 and was at its lowest, 101,452 ha, in 1961.

Southern Africa ranks 17th of 25 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.

Sugar cane — Area harvested in Southern Africa, year by year

Annual values for Sugar cane — Area harvested in Southern Africa, 1961 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1961 101,452 ha
1962 101,908 ha +0.4%
1963 133,629 ha +31.1%
1964 143,856 ha +7.7%
1965 166,354 ha +15.6%
1966 184,833 ha +11.1%
1967 211,780 ha +14.6%
1968 195,068 ha -7.9%
1969 198,556 ha +1.8%
1970 179,842 ha -9.4%
1971 197,101 ha +9.6%
1972 193,962 ha -1.6%
1973 195,666 ha +0.9%
1974 203,628 ha +4.1%
1975 203,148 ha -0.2%
1976 219,714 ha +8.2%
1977 236,643 ha +7.7%
1978 232,768 ha -1.6%
1979 240,021 ha +3.1%
1980 238,456 ha -0.7%
1981 288,381 ha +20.9%
1982 301,238 ha +4.5%
1983 266,363 ha -11.6%
1984 306,580 ha +15.1%
1985 301,378 ha -1.7%
1986 310,974 ha +3.2%
1987 309,809 ha -0.4%
1988 312,330 ha +0.8%
1989 294,739 ha -5.6%
1990 301,190 ha +2.2%
1991 316,015 ha +4.9%
1992 308,301 ha -2.4%
1993 309,677 ha +0.4%
1994 324,237 ha +4.7%
1995 310,979 ha -4.1%
1996 338,655 ha +8.9%
1997 335,301 ha -1.0%
1998 354,851 ha +5.8%
1999 353,294 ha -0.4%
2000 359,358 ha +1.7%
2001 366,704 ha +2.0%
2002 367,734 ha +0.3%
2003 374,263 ha +1.8%
2004 365,942 ha -2.2%
2005 369,788 ha +1.1%
2006 357,796 ha -3.2%
2007 359,613 ha +0.5%
2008 339,380 ha -5.6%
2009 330,133 ha -2.7%
2010 324,017 ha -1.9%
2011 307,301 ha -5.2%
2012 312,489 ha +1.7%
2013 322,186 ha +3.1%
2014 329,053 ha +2.1%
2015 315,390 ha -4.2%
2016 307,269 ha -2.6%
2017 311,808 ha +1.5%
2018 335,507 ha +7.6%
2019 335,022 ha -0.1%
2020 307,773 ha -8.1%
2021 296,088 ha -3.8%
2022 315,796 ha +6.7%
2023 324,487 ha +2.8%
2024 302,267 ha -6.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 159,715 ha 101,452 ha 211,780 ha 9
1970s 210,249 ha 179,842 ha 240,021 ha 10
1980s 293,025 ha 238,456 ha 312,330 ha 10
1990s 325,250 ha 301,190 ha 354,851 ha 10
2000s 359,071 ha 330,133 ha 374,263 ha 10
2010s 320,004 ha 307,269 ha 335,507 ha 10
2020s 309,282 ha 296,088 ha 324,487 ha 5

Countries ranked near Southern Africa

  1. 14 Cuba 270,361 ha compare
  2. 15 South Africa 242,267 ha compare
  3. 16 Guatemala 218,690 ha compare
  4. 17 Myanmar 178,646 ha compare
  5. 18 Kenya 134,900 ha compare
  6. 19 Egypt 124,299 ha compare
  7. 20 Peru 118,456 ha compare

See the full ranking of 142 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Southern Africa

All data for Southern Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is sugar cane — area harvested in Southern Africa?
Sugar cane — area harvested in Southern Africa was 302,267 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest sugar cane — area harvested recorded in Southern Africa?
The highest recorded value was 374,263 ha in 2003.
What is the lowest sugar cane — area harvested recorded in Southern Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 101,452 ha in 1961.
How does Southern Africa rank for sugar cane — area harvested?
Southern Africa ranks 17th out of 25 groups with data for 2024.
Is sugar cane — area harvested rising or falling in Southern Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Southern 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.

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Sugar cane — Area harvested in Southern Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/sugar-cane-area-harvested/southern-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Sugar cane — Area harvested
Unit
ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
142 places, 8,401 data points, 1961–2024
Last refreshed

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.