Wheat yield in South Africa

South Africa: Wheat yield was 3,316 kg per hectare in 2011. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2011)
3,316 kg per hectare
Change on year
up 29.4%
World rank
6th
of 32 countries
All-time high
3,316 kg per hectare
in 2011
All-time low
482.4 kg per hectare
in 1965
Years of data
51
1961–2011

Wheat yield in South Africa, 1961–2011

01.0k2.0k3.0k196119862011

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in kg per hectare.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 3,316 kg per hectare for wheat yield in 2011. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.

The figure is up 29.4% on the previous year and up 29.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, wheat yield in South Africa peaked at 3,316 kg per hectare in 2011 and was at its lowest, 482.4 kg per hectare, in 1965.

South Africa ranks 6th of 32 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Wheat yield in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Wheat yield (kg per hectare) in South Africa, 1961 to 2011.
Year kg per hectare Change
1961 619 kg per hectare
1962 512.7 kg per hectare -17.2%
1963 579.3 kg per hectare +13.0%
1964 803.6 kg per hectare +38.7%
1965 482.4 kg per hectare -40.0%
1966 483.2 kg per hectare +0.2%
1967 829.7 kg per hectare +71.7%
1968 746.7 kg per hectare -10.0%
1969 711.4 kg per hectare -4.7%
1970 723.3 kg per hectare +1.7%
1971 830.8 kg per hectare +14.9%
1972 865.6 kg per hectare +4.2%
1973 924 kg per hectare +6.7%
1974 855.8 kg per hectare -7.4%
1975 974.4 kg per hectare +13.9%
1976 1,148 kg per hectare +17.8%
1977 1,028 kg per hectare -10.4%
1978 892.9 kg per hectare -13.1%
1979 1,097 kg per hectare +22.8%
1980 904.7 kg per hectare -17.5%
1981 1,300 kg per hectare +43.7%
1982 1,214 kg per hectare -6.6%
1983 980.8 kg per hectare -19.2%
1984 1,208 kg per hectare +23.2%
1985 853.8 kg per hectare -29.3%
1986 1,199 kg per hectare +40.4%
1987 1,803 kg per hectare +50.4%
1988 1,802 kg per hectare -0.1%
1989 1,091 kg per hectare -39.5%
1990 1,093 kg per hectare +0.3%
1991 1,492 kg per hectare +36.4%
1992 1,765 kg per hectare +18.3%
1993 1,845 kg per hectare +4.5%
1994 1,756 kg per hectare -4.8%
1995 1,451 kg per hectare -17.4%
1996 2,096 kg per hectare +44.5%
1997 1,758 kg per hectare -16.2%
1998 2,530 kg per hectare +43.9%
1999 2,414 kg per hectare -4.6%
2000 2,600 kg per hectare +7.7%
2001 2,571 kg per hectare -1.1%
2002 2,591 kg per hectare +0.8%
2003 2,068 kg per hectare -20.2%
2004 2,032 kg per hectare -1.7%
2005 2,366 kg per hectare +16.4%
2006 2,752 kg per hectare +16.3%
2007 3,014 kg per hectare +9.5%
2008 2,848 kg per hectare -5.5%
2009 3,048 kg per hectare +7.0%
2010 2,562 kg per hectare -15.9%
2011 3,316 kg per hectare +29.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 640.89 kg per hectare 482.4 kg per hectare 829.7 kg per hectare 9
1970s 933.89 kg per hectare 723.3 kg per hectare 1,148 kg per hectare 10
1980s 1,236 kg per hectare 853.8 kg per hectare 1,803 kg per hectare 10
1990s 1,820 kg per hectare 1,093 kg per hectare 2,530 kg per hectare 10
2000s 2,589 kg per hectare 2,032 kg per hectare 3,048 kg per hectare 10
2010s 2,939 kg per hectare 2,562 kg per hectare 3,316 kg per hectare 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 3 Zambia 4,088 kg per hectare compare
  2. 4 Mali 3,438 kg per hectare compare
  3. 5 Zimbabwe 3,419 kg per hectare compare
  4. 7 Madagascar 2,289 kg per hectare compare
  5. 8 Tunisia 2,079 kg per hectare compare
  6. 9 Rwanda 2,048 kg per hectare compare

See the full ranking of 38 places →

More agriculture & rural data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is wheat yield in South Africa?
Wheat yield in South Africa was 3,316 kg per hectare in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.
What is the highest wheat yield recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 3,316 kg per hectare in 2011.
What is the lowest wheat yield recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 482.4 kg per hectare in 1965.
How does South Africa rank for wheat yield?
South Africa ranks 6th out of 32 countries with data for 2011.
Is wheat yield rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 29.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site, published as part of Wheat yield (kg per hectare). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Wheat yield in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/wheat-yield-kg-per-hectare/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Wheat yield (kg per hectare)
Unit
kg per hectare
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
38 places, 1,723 data points, 1961–2011
Last refreshed

Wheat yield, measured as kilograms per hectare of harvested land. Production data on relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Crop harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed, or silage and those used for grazing are excluded.