Sugar cane yields in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Sugar cane yields was 36.99 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
36.99 tonnes per hectare
Change on year
down 27.0%
World rank
82nd
of 110 countries
All-time high
66.97 tonnes per hectare
in 2009
All-time low
15.4 tonnes per hectare
in 1962
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Sugar cane yields in Sri Lanka, 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 Sri Lanka stood at 36.99 tonnes per hectare.
That represents a change of down 27.0% on the previous year and down 19.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sugar cane yields in Sri Lanka peaked at 66.97 tonnes per hectare in 2009 and was at its lowest, 15.4 tonnes per hectare, in 1962.
Sri Lanka ranks 82nd of 110 countries 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 yields in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 16.03 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 15.4 tonnes per hectare | -3.9% |
| 1963 | 18.55 tonnes per hectare | +20.5% |
| 1964 | 22.06 tonnes per hectare | +18.9% |
| 1965 | 21.98 tonnes per hectare | -0.4% |
| 1966 | 28.7 tonnes per hectare | +30.6% |
| 1967 | 32 tonnes per hectare | +11.5% |
| 1968 | 35.06 tonnes per hectare | +9.6% |
| 1969 | 39.19 tonnes per hectare | +11.8% |
| 1970 | 42.11 tonnes per hectare | +7.4% |
| 1971 | 45.45 tonnes per hectare | +8.0% |
| 1972 | 47.62 tonnes per hectare | +4.8% |
| 1973 | 50 tonnes per hectare | +5.0% |
| 1974 | 50 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 50 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 50 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 45.59 tonnes per hectare | -8.8% |
| 1978 | 45.59 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 47.86 tonnes per hectare | +5.0% |
| 1980 | 42.89 tonnes per hectare | -10.4% |
| 1981 | 39.77 tonnes per hectare | -7.3% |
| 1982 | 38.89 tonnes per hectare | -2.2% |
| 1983 | 22.66 tonnes per hectare | -41.7% |
| 1984 | 38.78 tonnes per hectare | +71.2% |
| 1985 | 40.59 tonnes per hectare | +4.7% |
| 1986 | 33.74 tonnes per hectare | -16.9% |
| 1987 | 33.36 tonnes per hectare | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 38.36 tonnes per hectare | +15.0% |
| 1989 | 35.63 tonnes per hectare | -7.1% |
| 1990 | 39.05 tonnes per hectare | +9.6% |
| 1991 | 40.09 tonnes per hectare | +2.7% |
| 1992 | 29.19 tonnes per hectare | -27.2% |
| 1993 | 34.11 tonnes per hectare | +16.9% |
| 1994 | 64.83 tonnes per hectare | +90.1% |
| 1995 | 55.47 tonnes per hectare | -14.4% |
| 1996 | 58.3 tonnes per hectare | +5.1% |
| 1997 | 56.31 tonnes per hectare | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 53.27 tonnes per hectare | -5.4% |
| 1999 | 55.24 tonnes per hectare | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 59.43 tonnes per hectare | +7.6% |
| 2001 | 55.42 tonnes per hectare | -6.7% |
| 2002 | 55 tonnes per hectare | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 60.45 tonnes per hectare | +9.9% |
| 2004 | 59.09 tonnes per hectare | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 58.64 tonnes per hectare | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 60.52 tonnes per hectare | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 55.3 tonnes per hectare | -8.6% |
| 2008 | 61.92 tonnes per hectare | +12.0% |
| 2009 | 66.97 tonnes per hectare | +8.2% |
| 2010 | 61.61 tonnes per hectare | -8.0% |
| 2011 | 59.8 tonnes per hectare | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 53.41 tonnes per hectare | -10.7% |
| 2013 | 46.19 tonnes per hectare | -13.5% |
| 2014 | 46.06 tonnes per hectare | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 42.16 tonnes per hectare | -8.5% |
| 2016 | 34.61 tonnes per hectare | -17.9% |
| 2017 | 36.57 tonnes per hectare | +5.6% |
| 2018 | 40.99 tonnes per hectare | +12.1% |
| 2019 | 50.39 tonnes per hectare | +22.9% |
| 2020 | 59.27 tonnes per hectare | +17.6% |
| 2021 | 57.48 tonnes per hectare | -3.0% |
| 2022 | 57.01 tonnes per hectare | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 50.68 tonnes per hectare | -11.1% |
| 2024 | 36.99 tonnes per hectare | -27.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 36.99 tonnes per hectare is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 60.97 tonnes per hectare, 61% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 36.99 tonnes per hectare is below the median for South Asia, which is 44.92 tonnes per hectare, 82% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Sugar cane yields in Sri Lanka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | +90.1% | 34.11 tonnes per hectare | 64.83 tonnes per hectare |
| 1984 | +71.2% | 22.66 tonnes per hectare | 38.78 tonnes per hectare |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 25.44 tonnes per hectare | 15.4 tonnes per hectare | 39.19 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 47.42 tonnes per hectare | 42.11 tonnes per hectare | 50 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 36.47 tonnes per hectare | 22.66 tonnes per hectare | 42.89 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 48.59 tonnes per hectare | 29.19 tonnes per hectare | 64.83 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 59.27 tonnes per hectare | 55 tonnes per hectare | 66.97 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 47.18 tonnes per hectare | 34.61 tonnes per hectare | 61.61 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.29 tonnes per hectare | 36.99 tonnes per hectare | 59.27 tonnes per hectare | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More agriculture & rural data for Sri Lanka
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0836 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 418.3 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9172 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7955 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sugar cane yields in Sri Lanka?
- Sugar cane yields in Sri Lanka was 36.99 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 66.97 tonnes per hectare in 2009.
- What is the lowest sugar cane yields recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.4 tonnes per hectare in 1962.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for sugar cane yields?
- Sri Lanka ranks 82nd out of 110 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sugar cane yields rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.