Rice production in South Africa
South Africa: Rice production was 3,082 tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
3,082 tonnes
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
106th
of 143 countries
All-time high
3,300 tonnes
in 2007
All-time low
1,814 tonnes
in 1963
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Rice 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
South Africa recorded 3,082 tonnes for rice production in 2024.
The figure is up 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rice production in South Africa peaked at 3,300 tonnes in 2007 and was at its lowest, 1,814 tonnes, in 1963.
South Africa ranks 106th of 143 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Rice production in South Africa, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2,540 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 2,177 tonnes | -14.3% |
| 1963 | 1,814 tonnes | -16.7% |
| 1964 | 1,900 tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1965 | 2,000 tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1966 | 2,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 2,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 2,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 2,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 2,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 2,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 3,000 tonnes | +50.0% |
| 1973 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 2,260 tonnes | -24.7% |
| 1991 | 3,050 tonnes | +35.0% |
| 1992 | 3,051 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 3,052 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 3,054 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 3,055 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 3,056 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 3,058 tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 3,029 tonnes | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 2,900 tonnes | -4.3% |
| 2000 | 3,000 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 3,200 tonnes | +6.7% |
| 2002 | 3,000 tonnes | -6.2% |
| 2003 | 3,200 tonnes | +6.7% |
| 2004 | 3,123 tonnes | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 3,119 tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 3,118 tonnes | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 3,300 tonnes | +5.8% |
| 2008 | 3,000 tonnes | -9.1% |
| 2009 | 3,067 tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 3,064 tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 3,067 tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 3,000 tonnes | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 3,057 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 3,074 tonnes | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 3,077 tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 3,079 tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 3,080 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 3,080 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3,080 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 3,081 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 3,081 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 3,082 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 3,082 tonnes | +0.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 3,082 tonnes is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 225,923 tonnes, 1% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 3,082 tonnes is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 212,050 tonnes, 1% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Rice production 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | +50.0% | 2,000 tonnes | 3,000 tonnes |
| 1991 | +35.0% | 2,260 tonnes | 3,050 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2,048 tonnes | 1,814 tonnes | 2,540 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 2,800 tonnes | 2,000 tonnes | 3,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 3,000 tonnes | 3,000 tonnes | 3,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 2,957 tonnes | 2,260 tonnes | 3,058 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 3,113 tonnes | 3,000 tonnes | 3,300 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 3,058 tonnes | 3,000 tonnes | 3,080 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 3,081 tonnes | 3,080 tonnes | 3,082 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 rice production in South Africa?
- Rice production in South Africa was 3,082 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 rice production recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 3,300 tonnes in 2007.
- What is the lowest rice production recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,814 tonnes in 1963.
- How does South Africa rank for rice production?
- South Africa ranks 106th out of 143 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rice production rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. 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 (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Rice 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
Rice production is measured in tonnes.