Land under cereal production in Nigeria
Nigeria: Land under cereal production was 18.28 million hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Land under cereal production in Nigeria, 1961–2024
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for land under cereal production in Nigeria is 18.28 million hectares, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land under cereal production in Nigeria peaked at 19.41 million hectares in 2007 and was at its lowest, 4.86 million hectares, in 1981.
That places Nigeria 7th out of 181 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 11.30 million hectares | 10.10 million hectares | 14.40 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 9.45 million hectares | 6.11 million hectares | 12.50 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.38 million hectares | 4.86 million hectares | 14.37 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.59 million hectares | 15.40 million hectares | 18.60 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.63 million hectares | 13.89 million hectares | 19.41 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.86 million hectares | 15.32 million hectares | 18.28 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.22 million hectares | 18.03 million hectares | 18.41 million hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
- Rural population 36.2% (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.1% (2025)
- Rural population 86.04 million (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 23.0% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 66.82 billion current US$ (2025)
- Cereal yield 1,558 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal production 28.47 million metric tons (2024)
- Fertilizer consumption 4.24 kilograms per hectare of arable land (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land under cereal production in Nigeria?
- Land under cereal production in Nigeria was 18.28 million hectares in 2024, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest land under cereal production recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 19.41 million hectares in 2007.
- What is the lowest land under cereal production recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.86 million hectares in 1981.
- How does Nigeria rank for land under cereal production?
- Nigeria ranks 7th out of 181 countries with data for 2024.
- Is land under cereal production rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria 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 Land under cereal production (hectares). 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
Land under cereal production refers to harvested area, although some countries report only sown or cultivated area. Cereals include 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.