Sunflower seed — Area harvested in South Africa

South Africa: Sunflower seed — Area harvested was 529,000 ha in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
529,000 ha
Change on year
down 4.8%
World rank
13th
of 84 countries
All-time high
828,000 ha
in 1999
All-time low
141,000 ha
in 1965
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Sunflower seed — Area harvested in South Africa, 1961–2024

200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k196119922024

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

Analysis

South Africa recorded 529,000 ha for sunflower seed — area harvested in 2024.

That represents a change of down 4.8% on the previous year and down 11.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sunflower seed — area harvested in South Africa peaked at 828,000 ha in 1999 and was at its lowest, 141,000 ha, in 1965.

South Africa ranks 13th of 84 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Sunflower seed — Area harvested in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Sunflower seed — Area harvested in South Africa, 1961 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1961 191,000 ha
1962 155,000 ha -18.8%
1963 176,000 ha +13.5%
1964 161,000 ha -8.5%
1965 141,000 ha -12.4%
1966 175,000 ha +24.1%
1967 145,000 ha -17.1%
1968 160,000 ha +10.3%
1969 165,000 ha +3.1%
1970 186,000 ha +12.7%
1971 185,000 ha -0.5%
1972 192,000 ha +3.8%
1973 346,000 ha +80.2%
1974 241,000 ha -30.3%
1975 239,000 ha -0.8%
1976 287,000 ha +20.1%
1977 391,000 ha +36.2%
1978 547,000 ha +39.9%
1979 372,000 ha -32.0%
1980 293,000 ha -21.2%
1981 331,000 ha +13.0%
1982 270,000 ha -18.4%
1983 310,000 ha +14.8%
1984 343,000 ha +10.6%
1985 315,000 ha -8.2%
1986 327,000 ha +3.8%
1987 394,000 ha +20.5%
1988 476,000 ha +20.8%
1989 436,000 ha -8.4%
1990 555,000 ha +27.3%
1991 621,000 ha +11.9%
1992 474,000 ha -23.7%
1993 435,000 ha -8.2%
1994 411,000 ha -5.5%
1995 540,000 ha +31.4%
1996 608,000 ha +12.6%
1997 464,000 ha -23.7%
1998 511,000 ha +10.1%
1999 828,000 ha +62.0%
2000 396,350 ha -52.1%
2001 521,695 ha +31.6%
2002 667,510 ha +28.0%
2003 606,450 ha -9.1%
2004 530,000 ha -12.6%
2005 460,000 ha -13.2%
2006 472,480 ha +2.7%
2007 316,350 ha -33.0%
2008 564,300 ha +78.4%
2009 635,800 ha +12.7%
2010 397,700 ha -37.4%
2011 642,700 ha +61.6%
2012 453,350 ha -29.5%
2013 504,000 ha +11.2%
2014 598,950 ha +18.8%
2015 576,000 ha -3.8%
2016 718,500 ha +24.7%
2017 635,750 ha -11.5%
2018 601,500 ha -5.4%
2019 515,350 ha -14.3%
2020 500,300 ha -2.9%
2021 477,800 ha -4.5%
2022 670,700 ha +40.4%
2023 555,700 ha -17.1%
2024 529,000 ha -4.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 163,222 ha 141,000 ha 191,000 ha 9
1970s 298,600 ha 185,000 ha 547,000 ha 10
1980s 349,500 ha 270,000 ha 476,000 ha 10
1990s 544,700 ha 411,000 ha 828,000 ha 10
2000s 517,094 ha 316,350 ha 667,510 ha 10
2010s 564,380 ha 397,700 ha 718,500 ha 10
2020s 546,700 ha 477,800 ha 670,700 ha 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 10 Spain 754,430 ha compare
  2. 11 France 753,680 ha compare
  3. 12 Hungary 674,130 ha compare
  4. 14 Uganda 280,000 ha compare
  5. 15 Serbia 248,607 ha compare
  6. 16 Myanmar 230,000 ha compare

See the full ranking of 119 places →

More agriculture & rural data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is sunflower seed — area harvested in South Africa?
Sunflower seed — area harvested in South Africa was 529,000 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest sunflower seed — area harvested recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 828,000 ha in 1999.
What is the lowest sunflower seed — area harvested recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 141,000 ha in 1965.
How does South Africa rank for sunflower seed — area harvested?
South Africa ranks 13th out of 84 countries with data for 2024.
Is sunflower seed — area harvested rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 11.7%. 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 Sunflower seed — Area harvested. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Sunflower seed — Area harvested in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/sunflower-seed-area-harvested/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Sunflower seed — Area harvested
Unit
ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
119 places, 5,957 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.