Tea leaves — Yield in South Africa
South Africa: Tea leaves — Yield was 1,979 kg/ha in 2024. ▲ Rising
Tea leaves — Yield in South Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kg/ha.
Analysis
In 2024, tea leaves — yield in South Africa stood at 1,979 kg/ha.
The figure is down 5.8% on the previous year and down 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tea leaves — yield in South Africa peaked at 3,755 kg/ha in 2005 and was at its lowest, 333.3 kg/ha, in 1970.
South Africa ranks 28th of 45 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.
Tea leaves — Yield in South Africa, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1,818 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | 1,818 kg/ha | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1,818 kg/ha | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 1,818 kg/ha | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 1,818 kg/ha | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 1,818 kg/ha | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 1,429 kg/ha | -21.4% |
| 1968 | 1,333 kg/ha | -6.7% |
| 1969 | 1,053 kg/ha | -21.1% |
| 1970 | 333.3 kg/ha | -68.3% |
| 1971 | 625 kg/ha | +87.5% |
| 1972 | 833.3 kg/ha | +33.3% |
| 1973 | 833.3 kg/ha | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 1,000 kg/ha | +20.0% |
| 1975 | 810.3 kg/ha | -19.0% |
| 1976 | 988.3 kg/ha | +22.0% |
| 1977 | 864.8 kg/ha | -12.5% |
| 1978 | 1,014 kg/ha | +17.2% |
| 1979 | 1,005 kg/ha | -0.8% |
| 1980 | 2,000 kg/ha | +99.0% |
| 1981 | 1,100 kg/ha | -45.0% |
| 1982 | 1,326 kg/ha | +20.6% |
| 1983 | 1,339 kg/ha | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 1,384 kg/ha | +3.3% |
| 1985 | 1,511 kg/ha | +9.2% |
| 1986 | 1,700 kg/ha | +12.5% |
| 1987 | 1,845 kg/ha | +8.5% |
| 1988 | 1,832 kg/ha | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 1,934 kg/ha | +5.6% |
| 1990 | 1,967 kg/ha | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 1,656 kg/ha | -15.8% |
| 1992 | 1,590 kg/ha | -4.0% |
| 1993 | 1,709 kg/ha | +7.5% |
| 1994 | 1,846 kg/ha | +8.0% |
| 1995 | 1,899 kg/ha | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 1,432 kg/ha | -24.6% |
| 1997 | 1,233 kg/ha | -13.9% |
| 1998 | 1,942 kg/ha | +57.5% |
| 1999 | 1,809 kg/ha | -6.8% |
| 2000 | 1,824 kg/ha | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 1,846 kg/ha | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 2,016 kg/ha | +9.2% |
| 2003 | 2,291 kg/ha | +13.6% |
| 2004 | 1,945 kg/ha | -15.1% |
| 2005 | 3,755 kg/ha | +93.1% |
| 2006 | 2,240 kg/ha | -40.4% |
| 2007 | 2,203 kg/ha | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 2,172 kg/ha | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 1,162 kg/ha | -46.5% |
| 2010 | 2,118 kg/ha | +82.3% |
| 2011 | 2,096 kg/ha | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 2,078 kg/ha | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 2,073 kg/ha | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 2,068 kg/ha | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 2,063 kg/ha | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 2,058 kg/ha | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 2,063 kg/ha | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 2,062 kg/ha | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 2,061 kg/ha | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 2,062 kg/ha | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 2,062 kg/ha | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 2,096 kg/ha | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 2,100 kg/ha | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 1,979 kg/ha | -5.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1,979 kg/ha is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4,471 kg/ha, 44% of the median. (17 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1,979 kg/ha is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6,489 kg/ha, 31% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Tea leaves — Yield in South Africa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +99.0% | 1,005 kg/ha | 2,000 kg/ha |
| 2005 | +93.1% | 1,945 kg/ha | 3,755 kg/ha |
| 1971 | +87.5% | 333.3 kg/ha | 625 kg/ha |
| 2010 | +82.3% | 1,162 kg/ha | 2,118 kg/ha |
| 1970 | -68.3% | 1,053 kg/ha | 333.3 kg/ha |
| 1998 | +57.5% | 1,233 kg/ha | 1,942 kg/ha |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1,636 kg/ha | 1,053 kg/ha | 1,818 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 830.69 kg/ha | 333.3 kg/ha | 1,014 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,597 kg/ha | 1,100 kg/ha | 2,000 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,708 kg/ha | 1,233 kg/ha | 1,967 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,145 kg/ha | 1,162 kg/ha | 3,755 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,074 kg/ha | 2,058 kg/ha | 2,118 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,060 kg/ha | 1,979 kg/ha | 2,100 kg/ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 25 Portugal 4,424 kg/ha compare
- 26 China, Taiwan Province of 2,768 kg/ha compare
- 27 Colombia 2,500 kg/ha compare
- 29 El Salvador 1,965 kg/ha compare
- 30 Azerbaijan 1,625 kg/ha compare
- 31 USSR 1,563 kg/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 tea leaves — yield in South Africa?
- Tea leaves — yield in South Africa was 1,979 kg/ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest tea leaves — yield recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 3,755 kg/ha in 2005.
- What is the lowest tea leaves — yield recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 333.3 kg/ha in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for tea leaves — yield?
- South Africa ranks 28th out of 45 countries with data for 2024.
- Is tea leaves — yield rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.3%. 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 Tea leaves — Yield. 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.