Sugar cane yields in Australia
Australia: Sugar cane yields was 87.66 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
87.66 tonnes per hectare
Change on year
down 11.1%
World rank
16th
of 110 countries
All-time high
99.6 tonnes per hectare
in 1997
All-time low
62.17 tonnes per hectare
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Sugar cane yields in Australia, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per hectare.
Analysis
In 2024, sugar cane yields in Australia stood at 87.66 tonnes per hectare.
The figure is down 11.1% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sugar cane yields in Australia peaked at 99.6 tonnes per hectare in 1997 and was at its lowest, 62.17 tonnes per hectare, in 1961.
That places Australia 16th out of 110 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 yields in Australia, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 62.17 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 79.63 tonnes per hectare | +28.1% |
| 1963 | 72.86 tonnes per hectare | -8.5% |
| 1964 | 80.44 tonnes per hectare | +10.4% |
| 1965 | 70.63 tonnes per hectare | -12.2% |
| 1966 | 75.21 tonnes per hectare | +6.5% |
| 1967 | 76.06 tonnes per hectare | +1.1% |
| 1968 | 81.32 tonnes per hectare | +6.9% |
| 1969 | 74.18 tonnes per hectare | -8.8% |
| 1970 | 80.01 tonnes per hectare | +7.9% |
| 1971 | 82.96 tonnes per hectare | +3.7% |
| 1972 | 78.31 tonnes per hectare | -5.6% |
| 1973 | 85.36 tonnes per hectare | +9.0% |
| 1974 | 80.66 tonnes per hectare | -5.5% |
| 1975 | 85.51 tonnes per hectare | +6.0% |
| 1976 | 81 tonnes per hectare | -5.3% |
| 1977 | 79.59 tonnes per hectare | -1.7% |
| 1978 | 85.25 tonnes per hectare | +7.1% |
| 1979 | 79.16 tonnes per hectare | -7.1% |
| 1980 | 83.17 tonnes per hectare | +5.1% |
| 1981 | 79.42 tonnes per hectare | -4.5% |
| 1982 | 77.92 tonnes per hectare | -1.9% |
| 1983 | 78.76 tonnes per hectare | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 81.41 tonnes per hectare | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 80.35 tonnes per hectare | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 79.56 tonnes per hectare | -1.0% |
| 1987 | 80.84 tonnes per hectare | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 85.63 tonnes per hectare | +5.9% |
| 1989 | 86.07 tonnes per hectare | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 73.4 tonnes per hectare | -14.7% |
| 1991 | 62.66 tonnes per hectare | -14.6% |
| 1992 | 62.74 tonnes per hectare | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 85.24 tonnes per hectare | +35.9% |
| 1994 | 92.64 tonnes per hectare | +8.7% |
| 1995 | 95.73 tonnes per hectare | +3.3% |
| 1996 | 97.74 tonnes per hectare | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 99.6 tonnes per hectare | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 97.77 tonnes per hectare | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 95.89 tonnes per hectare | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 91.09 tonnes per hectare | -5.0% |
| 2001 | 69.71 tonnes per hectare | -23.5% |
| 2002 | 73.74 tonnes per hectare | +5.8% |
| 2003 | 82.54 tonnes per hectare | +11.9% |
| 2004 | 82.64 tonnes per hectare | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 87.16 tonnes per hectare | +5.5% |
| 2006 | 93.35 tonnes per hectare | +7.1% |
| 2007 | 89.07 tonnes per hectare | -4.6% |
| 2008 | 85.72 tonnes per hectare | -3.8% |
| 2009 | 80.39 tonnes per hectare | -6.2% |
| 2010 | 80.2 tonnes per hectare | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 81.73 tonnes per hectare | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 76.65 tonnes per hectare | -6.2% |
| 2013 | 82.4 tonnes per hectare | +7.5% |
| 2014 | 81.33 tonnes per hectare | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 85.99 tonnes per hectare | +5.7% |
| 2016 | 76.93 tonnes per hectare | -10.5% |
| 2017 | 80.63 tonnes per hectare | +4.8% |
| 2018 | 75.64 tonnes per hectare | -6.2% |
| 2019 | 81.98 tonnes per hectare | +8.4% |
| 2020 | 82.65 tonnes per hectare | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 85.93 tonnes per hectare | +4.0% |
| 2022 | 85.32 tonnes per hectare | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 98.62 tonnes per hectare | +15.6% |
| 2024 | 87.66 tonnes per hectare | -11.1% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 87.66 tonnes per hectare is above the median for high income countries, which is 55.56 tonnes per hectare, 1.6× the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Australia's 87.66 tonnes per hectare is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 49.36 tonnes per hectare, 1.8× the median. (17 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 74.72 tonnes per hectare | 62.17 tonnes per hectare | 81.32 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 81.78 tonnes per hectare | 78.31 tonnes per hectare | 85.51 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 81.31 tonnes per hectare | 77.92 tonnes per hectare | 86.07 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 86.34 tonnes per hectare | 62.66 tonnes per hectare | 99.6 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 83.54 tonnes per hectare | 69.71 tonnes per hectare | 93.35 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 80.35 tonnes per hectare | 75.64 tonnes per hectare | 85.99 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 88.03 tonnes per hectare | 82.65 tonnes per hectare | 98.62 tonnes per hectare | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More agriculture & rural data for Australia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0227 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,476 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5855 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1228 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sugar cane yields in Australia?
- Sugar cane yields in Australia was 87.66 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 sugar cane yields recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 99.6 tonnes per hectare in 1997.
- What is the lowest sugar cane yields recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.17 tonnes per hectare in 1961.
- How does Australia rank for sugar cane yields?
- Australia ranks 16th out of 110 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sugar cane yields rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia 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 Sugar cane yields. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 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.