Sesame seed production in Nigeria
Nigeria: Sesame seed production was 450,000 tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
450,000 tonnes
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
4th
of 79 countries
All-time high
994,800 tonnes
in 2012
All-time low
30,000 tonnes
in 1970
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Sesame seed production in Nigeria, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for sesame seed production in Nigeria is 450,000 tonnes, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sesame seed production in Nigeria peaked at 994,800 tonnes in 2012 and was at its lowest, 30,000 tonnes, in 1970.
Nigeria ranks 4th of 79 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Sesame seed production in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 56,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 60,000 tonnes | +7.1% |
| 1963 | 53,000 tonnes | -11.7% |
| 1964 | 56,000 tonnes | +5.7% |
| 1965 | 61,000 tonnes | +8.9% |
| 1966 | 64,000 tonnes | +4.9% |
| 1967 | 53,000 tonnes | -17.2% |
| 1968 | 55,000 tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1969 | 58,000 tonnes | +5.5% |
| 1970 | 30,000 tonnes | -48.3% |
| 1971 | 32,000 tonnes | +6.7% |
| 1972 | 33,000 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1973 | 35,000 tonnes | +6.1% |
| 1974 | 36,000 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 36,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 37,000 tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1977 | 38,000 tonnes | +2.7% |
| 1978 | 38,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 39,000 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1980 | 41,000 tonnes | +5.1% |
| 1981 | 42,000 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1982 | 44,000 tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1983 | 30,000 tonnes | -31.8% |
| 1984 | 31,000 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1985 | 35,000 tonnes | +12.9% |
| 1986 | 35,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 34,000 tonnes | -2.9% |
| 1988 | 36,000 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 1989 | 40,000 tonnes | +11.1% |
| 1990 | 44,000 tonnes | +10.0% |
| 1991 | 46,000 tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1992 | 49,000 tonnes | +6.5% |
| 1993 | 52,000 tonnes | +6.1% |
| 1994 | 56,000 tonnes | +7.7% |
| 1995 | 60,000 tonnes | +7.1% |
| 1996 | 64,000 tonnes | +6.7% |
| 1997 | 66,000 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1998 | 66,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 69,000 tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2000 | 72,000 tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 74,000 tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 73,000 tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 80,000 tonnes | +9.6% |
| 2004 | 78,000 tonnes | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 100,000 tonnes | +28.2% |
| 2006 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 117,700 tonnes | +17.7% |
| 2008 | 121,610 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 119,710 tonnes | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 149,410 tonnes | +24.8% |
| 2011 | 229,167 tonnes | +53.4% |
| 2012 | 994,800 tonnes | +334.1% |
| 2013 | 584,980 tonnes | -41.2% |
| 2014 | 434,990 tonnes | -25.6% |
| 2015 | 432,900 tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 593,604 tonnes | +37.1% |
| 2017 | 632,317 tonnes | +6.5% |
| 2018 | 522,730 tonnes | -17.3% |
| 2019 | 523,430 tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 195,427 tonnes | -62.7% |
| 2021 | 440,000 tonnes | +125.1% |
| 2022 | 420,000 tonnes | -4.5% |
| 2023 | 450,000 tonnes | +7.1% |
| 2024 | 450,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 450,000 tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9,195 tonnes, 48.9× the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 450,000 tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 30,772 tonnes, 14.6× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Sesame seed production in Nigeria 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +334.1% | 229,167 tonnes | 994,800 tonnes |
| 2021 | +125.1% | 195,427 tonnes | 440,000 tonnes |
| 2020 | -62.7% | 523,430 tonnes | 195,427 tonnes |
| 1970 | -48.3% | 58,000 tonnes | 30,000 tonnes |
| 2011 | +53.4% | 149,410 tonnes | 229,167 tonnes |
| 2013 | -41.2% | 994,800 tonnes | 584,980 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 57,333 tonnes | 53,000 tonnes | 64,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 35,400 tonnes | 30,000 tonnes | 39,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 36,800 tonnes | 30,000 tonnes | 44,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 57,200 tonnes | 44,000 tonnes | 69,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 93,602 tonnes | 72,000 tonnes | 121,610 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 509,833 tonnes | 149,410 tonnes | 994,800 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 391,085 tonnes | 195,427 tonnes | 450,000 tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More reference data data for Nigeria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 19.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 81.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 121.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 14.27 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sesame seed production in Nigeria?
- Sesame seed production in Nigeria was 450,000 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 sesame seed production recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 994,800 tonnes in 2012.
- What is the lowest sesame seed production recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 30,000 tonnes in 1970.
- How does Nigeria rank for sesame seed production?
- Nigeria ranks 4th out of 79 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sesame seed production rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nigeria 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 Sesame seed 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
Sesame seed production is measured in tonnes.