Wheat — Area harvested, per square kilometre in South Africa
South Africa: Wheat — Area harvested, per square kilometre was 0.4435 ha per square kilometre in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.4435 ha per square kilometre
Change on year
down 5.1%
World rank
63rd
of 110 countries
All-time high
1.67 ha per square kilometre
in 1973
All-time low
0.3929 ha per square kilometre
in 2014
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Wheat — Area harvested, per square kilometre in South Africa, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in ha per square kilometre.
Analysis
In 2023, wheat — area harvested, per square kilometre in South Africa stood at 0.4435 ha per square kilometre.
The figure is down 5.1% on the previous year and up 6.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wheat — area harvested, per square kilometre in South Africa peaked at 1.67 ha per square kilometre in 1973 and was at its lowest, 0.3929 ha per square kilometre, in 2014.
That places South Africa 63rd out of 110 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Wheat — Area harvested, per square kilometre in South Africa, year by year
| Year | ha per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.16 ha per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 1.13 ha per square kilometre | -2.3% |
| 1963 | 1.25 ha per square kilometre | +10.5% |
| 1964 | 1.09 ha per square kilometre | -13.2% |
| 1965 | 1.12 ha per square kilometre | +3.1% |
| 1966 | 0.9348 ha per square kilometre | -16.6% |
| 1967 | 1.07 ha per square kilometre | +14.5% |
| 1968 | 1.38 ha per square kilometre | +28.7% |
| 1969 | 1.53 ha per square kilometre | +10.8% |
| 1970 | 1.59 ha per square kilometre | +4.3% |
| 1971 | 1.66 ha per square kilometre | +4.1% |
| 1972 | 1.66 ha per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 1.67 ha per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 1.54 ha per square kilometre | -7.9% |
| 1975 | 1.52 ha per square kilometre | -1.4% |
| 1976 | 1.61 ha per square kilometre | +6.5% |
| 1977 | 1.51 ha per square kilometre | -6.7% |
| 1978 | 1.56 ha per square kilometre | +3.7% |
| 1979 | 1.57 ha per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 1.34 ha per square kilometre | -14.5% |
| 1981 | 1.49 ha per square kilometre | +11.4% |
| 1982 | 1.66 ha per square kilometre | +11.1% |
| 1983 | 1.5 ha per square kilometre | -9.6% |
| 1984 | 1.6 ha per square kilometre | +6.8% |
| 1985 | 1.63 ha per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 1.6 ha per square kilometre | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 1.44 ha per square kilometre | -10.1% |
| 1988 | 1.66 ha per square kilometre | +14.9% |
| 1989 | 1.52 ha per square kilometre | -8.3% |
| 1990 | 1.29 ha per square kilometre | -15.2% |
| 1991 | 1.18 ha per square kilometre | -8.1% |
| 1992 | 0.6183 ha per square kilometre | -47.8% |
| 1993 | 0.8862 ha per square kilometre | +43.3% |
| 1994 | 0.8639 ha per square kilometre | -2.5% |
| 1995 | 1.12 ha per square kilometre | +30.1% |
| 1996 | 1.07 ha per square kilometre | -5.1% |
| 1997 | 1.14 ha per square kilometre | +6.8% |
| 1998 | 0.6166 ha per square kilometre | -45.9% |
| 1999 | 0.5919 ha per square kilometre | -4.0% |
| 2000 | 0.7699 ha per square kilometre | +30.1% |
| 2001 | 0.8029 ha per square kilometre | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 0.7757 ha per square kilometre | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 0.6166 ha per square kilometre | -20.5% |
| 2004 | 0.6842 ha per square kilometre | +11.0% |
| 2005 | 0.6636 ha per square kilometre | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 0.6306 ha per square kilometre | -5.0% |
| 2007 | 0.521 ha per square kilometre | -17.4% |
| 2008 | 0.6166 ha per square kilometre | +18.4% |
| 2009 | 0.5296 ha per square kilometre | -14.1% |
| 2010 | 0.4601 ha per square kilometre | -13.1% |
| 2011 | 0.4985 ha per square kilometre | +8.3% |
| 2012 | 0.4212 ha per square kilometre | -15.5% |
| 2013 | 0.4167 ha per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 0.3929 ha per square kilometre | -5.7% |
| 2015 | 0.3975 ha per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 0.4191 ha per square kilometre | +5.4% |
| 2017 | 0.4052 ha per square kilometre | -3.3% |
| 2018 | 0.4149 ha per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 0.4451 ha per square kilometre | +7.3% |
| 2020 | 0.4202 ha per square kilometre | -5.6% |
| 2021 | 0.4315 ha per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 0.4672 ha per square kilometre | +8.3% |
| 2023 | 0.4435 ha per square kilometre | -5.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.4435 ha per square kilometre is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.8016 ha per square kilometre, 55% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.4435 ha per square kilometre is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.0226 ha per square kilometre, 19.7× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.18 ha per square kilometre | 0.9348 ha per square kilometre | 1.53 ha per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.59 ha per square kilometre | 1.51 ha per square kilometre | 1.67 ha per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.55 ha per square kilometre | 1.34 ha per square kilometre | 1.66 ha per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9378 ha per square kilometre | 0.5919 ha per square kilometre | 1.29 ha per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6611 ha per square kilometre | 0.521 ha per square kilometre | 0.8029 ha per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4271 ha per square kilometre | 0.3929 ha per square kilometre | 0.4985 ha per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4406 ha per square kilometre | 0.4202 ha per square kilometre | 0.4672 ha per square kilometre | 4 |
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 wheat — area harvested, per square kilometre in South Africa?
- Wheat — area harvested, per square kilometre in South Africa was 0.4435 ha per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest wheat — area harvested, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.67 ha per square kilometre in 1973.
- What is the lowest wheat — area harvested, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3929 ha per square kilometre in 2014.
- How does South Africa rank for wheat — area harvested, per square kilometre?
- South Africa ranks 63rd out of 110 countries with data for 2023.
- Is wheat — area harvested, per square kilometre rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Wheat — Area harvested, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Wheat — Area harvested divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Wheat — Area harvested ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Wheat — Area harvested Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Wheat — Area harvested divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.