Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in South Africa
South Africa: Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty was 4,562 kg per hectare in 2024. ▲ Rising
Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in South Africa, 1990–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in kg per hectare.
Analysis
In 2024, cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in South Africa stood at 4,562 kg per hectare.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 20.0% on the previous year and down 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in South Africa peaked at 5,703 kg per hectare in 2023 and was at its lowest, 944.7 kg per hectare, in 1992.
That places South Africa 51st out of 180 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in South Africa, year by year
| Year | kg per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1,877 kg per hectare | — |
| 1991 | 1,986 kg per hectare | +5.8% |
| 1992 | 944.7 kg per hectare | -52.4% |
| 1993 | 2,160 kg per hectare | +128.7% |
| 1994 | 2,585 kg per hectare | +19.7% |
| 1995 | 1,419 kg per hectare | -45.1% |
| 1996 | 2,490 kg per hectare | +75.5% |
| 1997 | 2,272 kg per hectare | -8.8% |
| 1998 | 2,182 kg per hectare | -4.0% |
| 1999 | 2,191 kg per hectare | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 2,766 kg per hectare | +26.2% |
| 2001 | 2,424 kg per hectare | -12.4% |
| 2002 | 2,773 kg per hectare | +14.4% |
| 2003 | 2,537 kg per hectare | -8.5% |
| 2004 | 2,778 kg per hectare | +9.5% |
| 2005 | 3,310 kg per hectare | +19.1% |
| 2006 | 3,141 kg per hectare | -5.1% |
| 2007 | 2,790 kg per hectare | -11.2% |
| 2008 | 4,063 kg per hectare | +45.6% |
| 2009 | 4,406 kg per hectare | +8.4% |
| 2010 | 4,150 kg per hectare | -5.8% |
| 2011 | 4,017 kg per hectare | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 4,244 kg per hectare | +5.6% |
| 2013 | 4,043 kg per hectare | -4.7% |
| 2014 | 4,900 kg per hectare | +21.2% |
| 2015 | 3,348 kg per hectare | -31.7% |
| 2016 | 3,623 kg per hectare | +8.2% |
| 2017 | 5,332 kg per hectare | +47.2% |
| 2018 | 4,652 kg per hectare | -12.8% |
| 2019 | 4,102 kg per hectare | -11.8% |
| 2020 | 5,121 kg per hectare | +24.9% |
| 2021 | 5,494 kg per hectare | +7.3% |
| 2022 | 5,310 kg per hectare | -3.3% |
| 2023 | 5,703 kg per hectare | +7.4% |
| 2024 | 4,562 kg per hectare | -20.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 4,562 kg per hectare is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3,431 kg per hectare, 1.3× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 4,562 kg per hectare is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,342 kg per hectare, 3.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +128.7% | 944.7 kg per hectare | 2,160 kg per hectare |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2,011 kg per hectare | 944.7 kg per hectare | 2,585 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 3,099 kg per hectare | 2,424 kg per hectare | 4,406 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,241 kg per hectare | 3,348 kg per hectare | 5,332 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,238 kg per hectare | 4,562 kg per hectare | 5,703 kg per hectare | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More poverty & inequality data for South Africa
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 1 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 2.22 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -20.01 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 28.13 (2022)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 28.1% (2022)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, annual growth rate 0.8444 % change on previous year (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in South Africa?
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in South Africa was 4,562 kg per hectare in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 5,703 kg per hectare in 2023.
- What is the lowest cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 944.7 kg per hectare in 1992.
- How does South Africa rank for cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty?
- South Africa ranks 51st out of 180 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Extreme poverty is defined as living below the International Poverty Line of $3 per day. This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.