Bean production in South Africa
South Africa: Bean production was 50,495 tonnes in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
50,495 tonnes
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
54th
of 135 countries
All-time high
136,000 tonnes
in 1990
All-time low
27,704 tonnes
in 1992
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Bean production in South Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2024, bean production in South Africa stood at 50,495 tonnes.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and down 38.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, bean production in South Africa peaked at 136,000 tonnes in 1990 and was at its lowest, 27,704 tonnes, in 1992.
That places South Africa 54th out of 135 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Bean production in South Africa, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 54,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 38,000 tonnes | -29.6% |
| 1963 | 38,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 40,000 tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1965 | 45,000 tonnes | +12.5% |
| 1966 | 50,000 tonnes | +11.1% |
| 1967 | 79,000 tonnes | +58.0% |
| 1968 | 61,000 tonnes | -22.8% |
| 1969 | 49,000 tonnes | -19.7% |
| 1970 | 47,000 tonnes | -4.1% |
| 1971 | 62,000 tonnes | +31.9% |
| 1972 | 62,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 55,000 tonnes | -11.3% |
| 1974 | 85,000 tonnes | +54.5% |
| 1975 | 67,000 tonnes | -21.2% |
| 1976 | 73,000 tonnes | +9.0% |
| 1977 | 92,000 tonnes | +26.0% |
| 1978 | 107,000 tonnes | +16.3% |
| 1979 | 82,000 tonnes | -23.4% |
| 1980 | 89,000 tonnes | +8.5% |
| 1981 | 99,000 tonnes | +11.2% |
| 1982 | 84,000 tonnes | -15.2% |
| 1983 | 53,000 tonnes | -36.9% |
| 1984 | 70,000 tonnes | +32.1% |
| 1985 | 87,000 tonnes | +24.3% |
| 1986 | 98,000 tonnes | +12.6% |
| 1987 | 99,000 tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 97,000 tonnes | -2.0% |
| 1989 | 117,000 tonnes | +20.6% |
| 1990 | 136,000 tonnes | +16.2% |
| 1991 | 99,198 tonnes | -27.1% |
| 1992 | 27,704 tonnes | -72.1% |
| 1993 | 61,368 tonnes | +121.5% |
| 1994 | 44,000 tonnes | -28.3% |
| 1995 | 44,727 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 49,728 tonnes | +11.2% |
| 1997 | 52,000 tonnes | +4.6% |
| 1998 | 42,150 tonnes | -18.9% |
| 1999 | 76,000 tonnes | +80.3% |
| 2000 | 72,004 tonnes | -5.3% |
| 2001 | 91,630 tonnes | +27.3% |
| 2002 | 59,020 tonnes | -35.6% |
| 2003 | 60,295 tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 80,000 tonnes | +32.7% |
| 2005 | 69,820 tonnes | -12.7% |
| 2006 | 67,250 tonnes | -3.7% |
| 2007 | 39,545 tonnes | -41.2% |
| 2008 | 58,975 tonnes | +49.1% |
| 2009 | 67,030 tonnes | +13.7% |
| 2010 | 52,255 tonnes | -22.0% |
| 2011 | 41,980 tonnes | -19.7% |
| 2012 | 47,695 tonnes | +13.6% |
| 2013 | 60,200 tonnes | +26.2% |
| 2014 | 82,130 tonnes | +36.4% |
| 2015 | 73,390 tonnes | -10.6% |
| 2016 | 35,445 tonnes | -51.7% |
| 2017 | 68,525 tonnes | +93.3% |
| 2018 | 69,360 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 66,355 tonnes | -4.3% |
| 2020 | 64,800 tonnes | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 57,672 tonnes | -11.0% |
| 2022 | 52,590 tonnes | -8.8% |
| 2023 | 50,260 tonnes | -4.4% |
| 2024 | 50,495 tonnes | +0.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 50,495 tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 27,575 tonnes, 1.8× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 50,495 tonnes is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 84,150 tonnes, 60% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 50,444 tonnes | 38,000 tonnes | 79,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 73,200 tonnes | 47,000 tonnes | 107,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 89,300 tonnes | 53,000 tonnes | 117,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 63,288 tonnes | 27,704 tonnes | 136,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 66,557 tonnes | 39,545 tonnes | 91,630 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 59,734 tonnes | 35,445 tonnes | 82,130 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 55,163 tonnes | 50,260 tonnes | 64,800 tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is bean production in South Africa?
- Bean production in South Africa was 50,495 tonnes 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 bean production recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 136,000 tonnes in 1990.
- What is the lowest bean production recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 27,704 tonnes in 1992.
- How does South Africa rank for bean production?
- South Africa ranks 54th out of 135 countries with data for 2024.
- Is bean production rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa 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 Bean production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Bean (dry) production is measured in tonnes.