Cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Cereal production was 124.08 million metric tons in 2024. ▲ Rising
Cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1961–2024
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in metric tons.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa is 124.08 million metric tons, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 33.6% on the previous year and down 20.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 187.37 million metric tons in 2022 and was at its lowest, 38.14 million metric tons, in 1961.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 41.21 million metric tons | 38.14 million metric tons | 48.60 million metric tons | 9 |
| 1970s | 50.86 million metric tons | 43.58 million metric tons | 56.13 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1980s | 62.99 million metric tons | 50.81 million metric tons | 77.88 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1990s | 79.89 million metric tons | 66.36 million metric tons | 89.73 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2000s | 103.77 million metric tons | 86.72 million metric tons | 124.16 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2010s | 150.59 million metric tons | 126.98 million metric tons | 173.47 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2020s | 172.56 million metric tons | 124.08 million metric tons | 187.37 million metric tons | 5 |
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
- Rural population 55.3% (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Rural population 731.42 million (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 17.9% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.96 billion current US$ (2025)
- Land under cereal production 85.37 million hectares (2024)
- Cereal yield 1,453 kg per hectare (2024)
- Fertilizer consumption 19.59 kilograms per hectare of arable land (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Cereal production in Sub-Saharan Africa was 124.08 million metric tons in 2024, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest cereal production recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 187.37 million metric tons in 2022.
- What is the lowest cereal production recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.14 million metric tons in 1961.
- Is cereal production rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Cereal production (metric tons). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.