Sweet potatoes — Area harvested in South Africa
South Africa: Sweet potatoes — Area harvested was 27,285 ha in 2024. ▲ Rising
Sweet potatoes — Area harvested in South Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
The most recent figure for sweet potatoes — area harvested in South Africa is 27,285 ha, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 5.6% on the previous year and up 27.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sweet potatoes — area harvested in South Africa peaked at 34,537 ha in 2022 and was at its lowest, 13,000 ha, in 1970.
South Africa ranks 31st of 113 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.
Sweet potatoes — Area harvested in South Africa, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 14,000 ha | — |
| 1962 | 14,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 15,000 ha | +7.1% |
| 1964 | 15,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 15,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 15,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 15,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 14,000 ha | -6.7% |
| 1969 | 14,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 13,000 ha | -7.1% |
| 1971 | 13,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 13,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 13,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 13,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 13,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 13,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 13,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 13,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 13,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 13,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 13,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 13,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 13,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 14,500 ha | +11.5% |
| 1985 | 15,000 ha | +3.4% |
| 1986 | 15,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 16,500 ha | +10.0% |
| 1988 | 16,500 ha | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 14,500 ha | -12.1% |
| 1990 | 15,000 ha | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 16,000 ha | +6.7% |
| 1992 | 15,617 ha | -2.4% |
| 1993 | 17,500 ha | +12.1% |
| 1994 | 18,248 ha | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 15,500 ha | -15.1% |
| 1996 | 14,500 ha | -6.5% |
| 1997 | 15,500 ha | +6.9% |
| 1998 | 16,272 ha | +5.0% |
| 1999 | 14,774 ha | -9.2% |
| 2000 | 14,817 ha | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 16,151 ha | +9.0% |
| 2002 | 15,000 ha | -7.1% |
| 2003 | 14,500 ha | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 16,000 ha | +10.3% |
| 2005 | 16,130 ha | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 15,000 ha | -7.0% |
| 2007 | 15,500 ha | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 16,434 ha | +6.0% |
| 2009 | 21,000 ha | +27.8% |
| 2010 | 21,304 ha | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 18,195 ha | -14.6% |
| 2012 | 18,426 ha | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 21,934 ha | +19.0% |
| 2014 | 21,338 ha | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 22,423 ha | +5.1% |
| 2016 | 21,510 ha | -4.1% |
| 2017 | 26,304 ha | +22.3% |
| 2018 | 30,943 ha | +17.6% |
| 2019 | 32,777 ha | +5.9% |
| 2020 | 31,018 ha | -5.4% |
| 2021 | 30,236 ha | -2.5% |
| 2022 | 34,537 ha | +14.2% |
| 2023 | 28,894 ha | -16.3% |
| 2024 | 27,285 ha | -5.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 14,556 ha | 14,000 ha | 15,000 ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 13,000 ha | 13,000 ha | 13,000 ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 14,400 ha | 13,000 ha | 16,500 ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 15,891 ha | 14,500 ha | 18,248 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 16,053 ha | 14,500 ha | 21,000 ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 23,515 ha | 18,195 ha | 32,777 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 30,394 ha | 27,285 ha | 34,537 ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 28 Zambia 29,784 ha compare
- 29 Zimbabwe 28,137 ha compare
- 30 Bangladesh 27,953 ha compare
- 32 Republic of Korea 20,358 ha compare
- 33 Ethiopia PDR 19,200 ha compare
- 34 Equatorial Guinea 19,150 ha compare
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 sweet potatoes — area harvested in South Africa?
- Sweet potatoes — area harvested in South Africa was 27,285 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest sweet potatoes — area harvested recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 34,537 ha in 2022.
- What is the lowest sweet potatoes — area harvested recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 13,000 ha in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for sweet potatoes — area harvested?
- South Africa ranks 31st out of 113 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sweet potatoes — area harvested rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.9%. 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 Sweet potatoes — Area harvested. 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.