South Africa: Cereal yield (kg per hectare)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, South Africa's cereal yield (kg per hectare) fell 1,141 on 2023 (from 5,703 to 4,562).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +118.1 and a typical year strayed about 685.27 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1,709 in 2017 and the biggest yearly fall was 1,551 in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 175.27 a year. A straight line explains 43% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, South Africa had the 51st highest value of the 176 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to South Africa in the 2024 ranking

• Peru — 48th of 176: 4,851
• Papua New Guinea — 49th of 176: 4,787
• Switzerland — 50th of 176: 4,584
• Dominican Republic — 52nd of 176: 4,455
• Suriname — 53rd of 176: 4,447
• Colombia — 54th of 176: 4,422

What this measures

Cereal yield, measured as kilograms per hectare of harvested land, includes wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains. 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 and those used for grazing are excluded. The FAO allocates production data to the calendar year in which the bulk of the harvest took place. Most of a crop harvested near the end of a year will be used in the following year.

Limitations: Cereals production data relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed, or silage and those used for grazing are excluded. The FAO allocates production data to the calendar year in which the bulk of the harvest took place. Most of a crop harvested near the end of a year will be used in the following year. The data are collected by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) through annual questionnaires. The FAO tries to impose standard definitions and reporting methods, but complete consistency across countries and over time is not possible.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 64 values

Cereal yield (kg per hectare) in nearby economies

• Angola — 1,107 (2024)
• Benin — 1,356 (2024)
• Botswana — 900.4 (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 1,198 (2024)
• Burundi — 1,163 (2024)
• Cabo Verde — 40.3 (2024)
• Cameroon — 1,770 (2024)
• Central African Republic — 788.4 (2024)
• Chad — 826.9 (2024)
• Comoros — 1,718 (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 871.8 (2024)

More environment data for South Africa

• Population in largest city — 6.44 million (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 15.6% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 23.36 million (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 36.07% (2025)
• Rural population — 23.43 million (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 36.18% (2025)
• Urban population — 41.32 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 63.82% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 8,439 (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is South Africa's cereal yield (kg per hectare)?

4,562 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1961?

It is up 315.07% from 1,099 in 1961 (2.28% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 5,703 in 2023 and the lowest 911.4 in 1965.

How does South Africa rank?

51st highest of 176 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in cereal yield (kg per hectare) unusual for South Africa?

In 2024, South Africa's cereal yield (kg per hectare) fell 1,141 on 2023 (from 5,703 to 4,562). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +118.1 and a typical year strayed about 685.27 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator AG.YLD.CREL.KG, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), uri: https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL, publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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