Sugar cane — Yield in South Africa
South Africa: Sugar cane — Yield was 69,101 kg/ha in 2024. ▼ Falling
Sugar cane — Yield in South Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kg/ha.
Analysis
The most recent figure for sugar cane — yield in South Africa is 69,101 kg/ha, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sugar cane — yield in South Africa peaked at 101,573 kg/ha in 1962 and was at its lowest, 41,696 kg/ha, in 1993.
South Africa ranks 36th of 103 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Sugar cane — Yield in South Africa, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 88,677 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | 101,573 kg/ha | +14.5% |
| 1963 | 82,118 kg/ha | -19.2% |
| 1964 | 80,245 kg/ha | -2.3% |
| 1965 | 55,234 kg/ha | -31.2% |
| 1966 | 81,094 kg/ha | +46.8% |
| 1967 | 84,514 kg/ha | +4.2% |
| 1968 | 75,334 kg/ha | -10.9% |
| 1969 | 80,052 kg/ha | +6.3% |
| 1970 | 73,402 kg/ha | -8.3% |
| 1971 | 91,418 kg/ha | +24.5% |
| 1972 | 93,150 kg/ha | +1.9% |
| 1973 | 85,529 kg/ha | -8.2% |
| 1974 | 90,181 kg/ha | +5.4% |
| 1975 | 90,120 kg/ha | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 95,435 kg/ha | +5.9% |
| 1977 | 87,570 kg/ha | -8.2% |
| 1978 | 89,244 kg/ha | +1.9% |
| 1979 | 84,420 kg/ha | -5.4% |
| 1980 | 66,136 kg/ha | -21.7% |
| 1981 | 75,835 kg/ha | +14.7% |
| 1982 | 72,626 kg/ha | -4.2% |
| 1983 | 57,850 kg/ha | -20.3% |
| 1984 | 81,886 kg/ha | +41.5% |
| 1985 | 70,571 kg/ha | -13.8% |
| 1986 | 66,196 kg/ha | -6.2% |
| 1987 | 76,648 kg/ha | +15.8% |
| 1988 | 71,670 kg/ha | -6.5% |
| 1989 | 71,905 kg/ha | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 68,320 kg/ha | -5.0% |
| 1991 | 72,742 kg/ha | +6.5% |
| 1992 | 48,287 kg/ha | -33.6% |
| 1993 | 41,696 kg/ha | -13.6% |
| 1994 | 55,177 kg/ha | +32.3% |
| 1995 | 61,197 kg/ha | +10.9% |
| 1996 | 69,917 kg/ha | +14.2% |
| 1997 | 74,702 kg/ha | +6.8% |
| 1998 | 72,482 kg/ha | -3.0% |
| 1999 | 67,742 kg/ha | -6.5% |
| 2000 | 73,952 kg/ha | +9.2% |
| 2001 | 64,956 kg/ha | -12.2% |
| 2002 | 71,638 kg/ha | +10.3% |
| 2003 | 62,643 kg/ha | -12.6% |
| 2004 | 60,424 kg/ha | -3.5% |
| 2005 | 66,024 kg/ha | +9.3% |
| 2006 | 66,357 kg/ha | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 64,168 kg/ha | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 67,003 kg/ha | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 67,072 kg/ha | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 59,081 kg/ha | -11.9% |
| 2011 | 66,456 kg/ha | +12.5% |
| 2012 | 67,205 kg/ha | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 75,329 kg/ha | +12.1% |
| 2014 | 65,055 kg/ha | -13.6% |
| 2015 | 57,493 kg/ha | -11.6% |
| 2016 | 60,318 kg/ha | +4.9% |
| 2017 | 68,481 kg/ha | +13.5% |
| 2018 | 69,721 kg/ha | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 69,732 kg/ha | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 73,099 kg/ha | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 71,917 kg/ha | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 69,314 kg/ha | -3.6% |
| 2023 | 67,845 kg/ha | -2.1% |
| 2024 | 69,101 kg/ha | +1.9% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 69,101 kg/ha is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 58,123 kg/ha, 1.2× the median. (30 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 69,101 kg/ha is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 62,436 kg/ha, 1.1× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 80,982 kg/ha | 55,234 kg/ha | 101,573 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 88,047 kg/ha | 73,402 kg/ha | 95,435 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 71,132 kg/ha | 57,850 kg/ha | 81,886 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 63,226 kg/ha | 41,696 kg/ha | 74,702 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 66,424 kg/ha | 60,424 kg/ha | 73,952 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 65,887 kg/ha | 57,493 kg/ha | 75,329 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 70,255 kg/ha | 67,845 kg/ha | 73,099 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 sugar cane — yield in South Africa?
- Sugar cane — yield in South Africa was 69,101 kg/ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest sugar cane — yield recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 101,573 kg/ha in 1962.
- What is the lowest sugar cane — yield recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 41,696 kg/ha in 1993.
- How does South Africa rank for sugar cane — yield?
- South Africa ranks 36th out of 103 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sugar cane — yield rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 — Yield. 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.