Yields of key staple crops in South Korea
South Korea: Yields of key staple crops was 3.92 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
3.92 tonnes per hectare
Change on year
down 12.2%
World rank
40th
of 126 countries
All-time high
4.47 tonnes per hectare
in 2023
All-time low
1.66 tonnes per hectare
in 1963
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Yields of key staple crops in South Korea, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per hectare.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 3.92 tonnes per hectare for yields of key staple crops in 2024.
The figure is down 12.2% on the previous year and up 20.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, yields of key staple crops in South Korea peaked at 4.47 tonnes per hectare in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.66 tonnes per hectare, in 1963.
South Korea ranks 40th of 126 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.
Yields of key staple crops in South Korea, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.27 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 2.01 tonnes per hectare | -11.3% |
| 1963 | 1.66 tonnes per hectare | -17.6% |
| 1964 | 2.12 tonnes per hectare | +28.1% |
| 1965 | 1.98 tonnes per hectare | -6.7% |
| 1966 | 2.06 tonnes per hectare | +4.0% |
| 1967 | 2.05 tonnes per hectare | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 2.19 tonnes per hectare | +6.6% |
| 1969 | 2.39 tonnes per hectare | +9.1% |
| 1970 | 2.26 tonnes per hectare | -5.4% |
| 1971 | 2.27 tonnes per hectare | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 2.38 tonnes per hectare | +4.7% |
| 1973 | 2.31 tonnes per hectare | -2.8% |
| 1974 | 2.03 tonnes per hectare | -11.9% |
| 1975 | 2.22 tonnes per hectare | +9.0% |
| 1976 | 2.22 tonnes per hectare | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 1.68 tonnes per hectare | -24.2% |
| 1978 | 2.09 tonnes per hectare | +24.0% |
| 1979 | 3.21 tonnes per hectare | +53.5% |
| 1980 | 3.3 tonnes per hectare | +2.9% |
| 1981 | 2.9 tonnes per hectare | -12.1% |
| 1982 | 3.35 tonnes per hectare | +15.4% |
| 1983 | 4.22 tonnes per hectare | +26.1% |
| 1984 | 2.69 tonnes per hectare | -36.3% |
| 1985 | 3.43 tonnes per hectare | +27.4% |
| 1986 | 2.94 tonnes per hectare | -14.2% |
| 1987 | 3.02 tonnes per hectare | +2.9% |
| 1988 | 3.28 tonnes per hectare | +8.6% |
| 1989 | 3.08 tonnes per hectare | -6.2% |
| 1990 | 3.02 tonnes per hectare | -1.8% |
| 1991 | 3.1 tonnes per hectare | +2.4% |
| 1992 | 3.37 tonnes per hectare | +8.7% |
| 1993 | 2.71 tonnes per hectare | -19.5% |
| 1994 | 3.7 tonnes per hectare | +36.6% |
| 1995 | 4.44 tonnes per hectare | +19.8% |
| 1996 | 3.92 tonnes per hectare | -11.7% |
| 1997 | 4.04 tonnes per hectare | +3.2% |
| 1998 | 3.48 tonnes per hectare | -13.8% |
| 1999 | 3.67 tonnes per hectare | +5.3% |
| 2000 | 2.55 tonnes per hectare | -30.6% |
| 2001 | 3.1 tonnes per hectare | +22.0% |
| 2002 | 3.23 tonnes per hectare | +3.9% |
| 2003 | 3.05 tonnes per hectare | -5.4% |
| 2004 | 3.33 tonnes per hectare | +9.1% |
| 2005 | 3.21 tonnes per hectare | -3.7% |
| 2006 | 3.34 tonnes per hectare | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 3.81 tonnes per hectare | +14.1% |
| 2008 | 4.06 tonnes per hectare | +6.6% |
| 2009 | 3.71 tonnes per hectare | -8.8% |
| 2010 | 3.12 tonnes per hectare | -15.9% |
| 2011 | 3.35 tonnes per hectare | +7.4% |
| 2012 | 3.91 tonnes per hectare | +16.8% |
| 2013 | 2.59 tonnes per hectare | -33.9% |
| 2014 | 3.26 tonnes per hectare | +26.1% |
| 2015 | 2.62 tonnes per hectare | -19.5% |
| 2016 | 3.71 tonnes per hectare | +41.3% |
| 2017 | 4.03 tonnes per hectare | +8.7% |
| 2018 | 3.91 tonnes per hectare | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 4.02 tonnes per hectare | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 3.25 tonnes per hectare | -19.2% |
| 2021 | 4.23 tonnes per hectare | +30.1% |
| 2022 | 4.18 tonnes per hectare | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 4.47 tonnes per hectare | +6.7% |
| 2024 | 3.92 tonnes per hectare | -12.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 3.92 tonnes per hectare is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.69 tonnes per hectare, 84% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 3.92 tonnes per hectare is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.03 tonnes per hectare, 1.9× the median. (10 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.08 tonnes per hectare | 1.66 tonnes per hectare | 2.39 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.27 tonnes per hectare | 1.68 tonnes per hectare | 3.21 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.22 tonnes per hectare | 2.69 tonnes per hectare | 4.22 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.55 tonnes per hectare | 2.71 tonnes per hectare | 4.44 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.34 tonnes per hectare | 2.55 tonnes per hectare | 4.06 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.45 tonnes per hectare | 2.59 tonnes per hectare | 4.03 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.01 tonnes per hectare | 3.25 tonnes per hectare | 4.47 tonnes per hectare | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More agriculture & rural data for South Korea
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 0.2516 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0146 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 530.46 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1591 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1883 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is yields of key staple crops in South Korea?
- Yields of key staple crops in South Korea was 3.92 tonnes per hectare in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest yields of key staple crops recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 4.47 tonnes per hectare in 2023.
- What is the lowest yields of key staple crops recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.66 tonnes per hectare in 1963.
- How does South Korea rank for yields of key staple crops?
- South Korea ranks 40th out of 126 countries with data for 2024.
- Is yields of key staple crops rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Yields of key staple crops. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Yield is the amount produced per unit of land used, measured in tonnes per hectare.