Sunflower seed yields in South Africa
South Africa: Sunflower seed yields was 1.19 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
1.19 tonnes per hectare
Change on year
down 7.8%
World rank
50th
of 78 countries
All-time high
1.6 tonnes per hectare
in 1981
All-time low
0.3861 tonnes per hectare
in 1992
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Sunflower seed yields in South Africa, 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
South Africa recorded 1.19 tonnes per hectare for sunflower seed yields in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.8% on the previous year and down 14.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sunflower seed yields in South Africa peaked at 1.6 tonnes per hectare in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.3861 tonnes per hectare, in 1992.
That places South Africa 50th out of 78 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Sunflower seed yields in South Africa, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.5916 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 0.6452 tonnes per hectare | +9.1% |
| 1963 | 0.5795 tonnes per hectare | -10.2% |
| 1964 | 0.5155 tonnes per hectare | -11.0% |
| 1965 | 0.5532 tonnes per hectare | +7.3% |
| 1966 | 0.6 tonnes per hectare | +8.5% |
| 1967 | 0.7586 tonnes per hectare | +26.4% |
| 1968 | 0.5313 tonnes per hectare | -30.0% |
| 1969 | 0.5636 tonnes per hectare | +6.1% |
| 1970 | 0.5376 tonnes per hectare | -4.6% |
| 1971 | 0.7459 tonnes per hectare | +38.7% |
| 1972 | 0.8177 tonnes per hectare | +9.6% |
| 1973 | 0.7312 tonnes per hectare | -10.6% |
| 1974 | 1.09 tonnes per hectare | +49.2% |
| 1975 | 0.9247 tonnes per hectare | -15.3% |
| 1976 | 0.9443 tonnes per hectare | +2.1% |
| 1977 | 1.23 tonnes per hectare | +30.3% |
| 1978 | 0.83 tonnes per hectare | -32.5% |
| 1979 | 0.8468 tonnes per hectare | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 1.14 tonnes per hectare | +34.2% |
| 1981 | 1.6 tonnes per hectare | +40.9% |
| 1982 | 0.9667 tonnes per hectare | -39.6% |
| 1983 | 0.7032 tonnes per hectare | -27.3% |
| 1984 | 0.5423 tonnes per hectare | -22.9% |
| 1985 | 0.7746 tonnes per hectare | +42.8% |
| 1986 | 0.8502 tonnes per hectare | +9.8% |
| 1987 | 0.9772 tonnes per hectare | +14.9% |
| 1988 | 0.9202 tonnes per hectare | -5.8% |
| 1989 | 1.02 tonnes per hectare | +10.7% |
| 1990 | 1.17 tonnes per hectare | +14.8% |
| 1991 | 1 tonnes per hectare | -14.5% |
| 1992 | 0.3861 tonnes per hectare | -61.4% |
| 1993 | 0.8045 tonnes per hectare | +108.4% |
| 1994 | 0.8914 tonnes per hectare | +10.8% |
| 1995 | 0.998 tonnes per hectare | +12.0% |
| 1996 | 1.29 tonnes per hectare | +29.2% |
| 1997 | 1.01 tonnes per hectare | -21.8% |
| 1998 | 1.14 tonnes per hectare | +13.4% |
| 1999 | 1.46 tonnes per hectare | +28.0% |
| 2000 | 1.43 tonnes per hectare | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 1.32 tonnes per hectare | -7.4% |
| 2002 | 1.45 tonnes per hectare | +9.3% |
| 2003 | 1.12 tonnes per hectare | -22.3% |
| 2004 | 1.22 tonnes per hectare | +8.7% |
| 2005 | 1.35 tonnes per hectare | +10.2% |
| 2006 | 1.1 tonnes per hectare | -18.3% |
| 2007 | 0.9483 tonnes per hectare | -13.8% |
| 2008 | 1.55 tonnes per hectare | +63.0% |
| 2009 | 1.26 tonnes per hectare | -18.5% |
| 2010 | 1.23 tonnes per hectare | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 1.34 tonnes per hectare | +8.6% |
| 2012 | 1.15 tonnes per hectare | -14.0% |
| 2013 | 1.11 tonnes per hectare | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 1.39 tonnes per hectare | +25.7% |
| 2015 | 1.15 tonnes per hectare | -17.1% |
| 2016 | 1.05 tonnes per hectare | -8.7% |
| 2017 | 1.37 tonnes per hectare | +30.8% |
| 2018 | 1.43 tonnes per hectare | +4.2% |
| 2019 | 1.32 tonnes per hectare | -8.2% |
| 2020 | 1.58 tonnes per hectare | +19.8% |
| 2021 | 1.42 tonnes per hectare | -10.0% |
| 2022 | 1.26 tonnes per hectare | -11.2% |
| 2023 | 1.3 tonnes per hectare | +2.8% |
| 2024 | 1.19 tonnes per hectare | -7.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1.19 tonnes per hectare is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.59 tonnes per hectare, 75% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1.19 tonnes per hectare is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.01 tonnes per hectare, 1.2× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.5932 tonnes per hectare | 0.5155 tonnes per hectare | 0.7586 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.87 tonnes per hectare | 0.5376 tonnes per hectare | 1.23 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.949 tonnes per hectare | 0.5423 tonnes per hectare | 1.6 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.02 tonnes per hectare | 0.3861 tonnes per hectare | 1.46 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.28 tonnes per hectare | 0.9483 tonnes per hectare | 1.55 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.25 tonnes per hectare | 1.05 tonnes per hectare | 1.43 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.35 tonnes per hectare | 1.19 tonnes per hectare | 1.58 tonnes per hectare | 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 sunflower seed yields in South Africa?
- Sunflower seed yields in South Africa was 1.19 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 sunflower seed yields recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.6 tonnes per hectare in 1981.
- What is the lowest sunflower seed yields recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3861 tonnes per hectare in 1992.
- How does South Africa rank for sunflower seed yields?
- South Africa ranks 50th out of 78 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sunflower seed yields rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.0%. 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 (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Sunflower seed 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.