Sweet potatoes — Production in Zambia
Zambia: Sweet potatoes — Production was 83,542 t in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Sweet potatoes — Production in Zambia, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in t.
Analysis
The most recent figure for sweet potatoes — production in Zambia is 83,542 t, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 64.4% on the previous year and down 44.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sweet potatoes — production in Zambia peaked at 252,867 t in 2010 and was at its lowest, 20,000 t, in 1961.
That places Zambia 46th out of 113 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Sweet potatoes — Production in Zambia, year by year
| Year | t | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 20,000 t | — |
| 1962 | 24,000 t | +20.0% |
| 1963 | 24,000 t | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 28,000 t | +16.7% |
| 1965 | 26,000 t | -7.1% |
| 1966 | 30,000 t | +15.4% |
| 1967 | 32,000 t | +6.7% |
| 1968 | 30,000 t | -6.2% |
| 1969 | 33,000 t | +10.0% |
| 1970 | 34,000 t | +3.0% |
| 1971 | 34,000 t | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 36,000 t | +5.9% |
| 1973 | 36,000 t | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 38,000 t | +5.6% |
| 1975 | 38,000 t | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 39,000 t | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 39,000 t | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 39,000 t | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 40,000 t | +2.6% |
| 1980 | 40,000 t | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 40,000 t | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 42,000 t | +5.0% |
| 1983 | 44,000 t | +4.8% |
| 1984 | 44,000 t | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 44,000 t | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 46,000 t | +4.5% |
| 1987 | 48,000 t | +4.3% |
| 1988 | 50,000 t | +4.2% |
| 1989 | 52,000 t | +4.0% |
| 1990 | 54,000 t | +3.8% |
| 1991 | 56,000 t | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 50,000 t | -10.7% |
| 1993 | 55,000 t | +10.0% |
| 1994 | 53,000 t | -3.6% |
| 1995 | 51,000 t | -3.8% |
| 1996 | 54,000 t | +5.9% |
| 1997 | 51,000 t | -5.6% |
| 1998 | 50,000 t | -2.0% |
| 1999 | 52,000 t | +4.0% |
| 2000 | 52,000 t | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 76,098 t | +46.3% |
| 2002 | 59,349 t | -22.0% |
| 2003 | 101,582 t | +71.2% |
| 2004 | 109,489 t | +7.8% |
| 2005 | 66,926 t | -38.9% |
| 2006 | 101,287 t | +51.3% |
| 2007 | 75,664 t | -25.3% |
| 2008 | 106,523 t | +40.8% |
| 2009 | 200,450 t | +88.2% |
| 2010 | 252,867 t | +26.1% |
| 2011 | 146,614 t | -42.0% |
| 2012 | 163,484 t | +11.5% |
| 2013 | 188,355 t | +15.2% |
| 2014 | 150,158 t | -20.3% |
| 2015 | 118,330 t | -21.2% |
| 2016 | 231,881 t | +96.0% |
| 2017 | 206,676 t | -10.9% |
| 2018 | 183,280 t | -11.3% |
| 2019 | 109,336 t | -40.3% |
| 2020 | 144,706 t | +32.3% |
| 2021 | 213,567 t | +47.6% |
| 2022 | 132,442 t | -38.0% |
| 2023 | 234,631 t | +77.2% |
| 2024 | 83,542 t | -64.4% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 83,542 t is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 106,808 t, 78% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 83,542 t is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 179,140 t, 47% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Sweet potatoes — Production in Zambia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | +96.0% | 118,330 t | 231,881 t |
| 2009 | +88.2% | 106,523 t | 200,450 t |
| 2023 | +77.2% | 132,442 t | 234,631 t |
| 2003 | +71.2% | 59,349 t | 101,582 t |
| 2024 | -64.4% | 234,631 t | 83,542 t |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 27,444 t | 20,000 t | 33,000 t | 9 |
| 1970s | 37,300 t | 34,000 t | 40,000 t | 10 |
| 1980s | 45,000 t | 40,000 t | 52,000 t | 10 |
| 1990s | 52,600 t | 50,000 t | 56,000 t | 10 |
| 2000s | 94,937 t | 52,000 t | 200,450 t | 10 |
| 2010s | 175,098 t | 109,336 t | 252,867 t | 10 |
| 2020s | 161,778 t | 83,542 t | 234,631 t | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 43 Australia and New Zealand 101,094 t compare
- 44 Dominican Republic 92,467 t compare
- 45 Australia 89,203 t compare
- 47 Uruguay 82,000 t compare
- 48 South Africa 70,564 t compare
- 49 Mexico 66,732 t compare
More agriculture & rural data for Zambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 65.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0411 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 54.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5408 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sweet potatoes — production in Zambia?
- Sweet potatoes — production in Zambia was 83,542 t in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest sweet potatoes — production recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 252,867 t in 2010.
- What is the lowest sweet potatoes — production recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 20,000 t in 1961.
- How does Zambia rank for sweet potatoes — production?
- Zambia ranks 46th out of 113 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sweet potatoes — production rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Sweet potatoes — Production. 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.