Sugar cane production in South Africa

South Africa: Sugar cane production was 16.74 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
16.74 million
Change on year
down 6.7%
World rank
13th
of 110 countries
All-time high
23.88 million
in 2000
All-time low
8.41 million
in 1965
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Sugar cane production in South Africa, 1961–2024

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M25.0M196119922024

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2024, sugar cane production in South Africa stood at 16.74 million.

The figure is down 6.7% on the previous year and down 5.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sugar cane production in South Africa peaked at 23.88 million in 2000 and was at its lowest, 8.41 million, in 1965.

South Africa ranks 13th of 110 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.

Sugar cane production in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Sugar cane production in South Africa, 1961 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1961 8.51 million —
1962 9.75 million +14.5%
1963 9.94 million +1.9%
1964 10.66 million +7.3%
1965 8.41 million -21.2%
1966 14.10 million +67.8%
1967 16.91 million +19.9%
1968 13.72 million -18.9%
1969 14.79 million +7.8%
1970 12.14 million -17.9%
1971 16.75 million +37.9%
1972 16.80 million +0.3%
1973 15.45 million -8.0%
1974 16.90 million +9.3%
1975 16.81 million -0.5%
1976 19.22 million +14.3%
1977 19.01 million -1.1%
1978 18.93 million -0.4%
1979 18.41 million -2.7%
1980 14.06 million -23.6%
1981 19.53 million +38.9%
1982 19.34 million -1.0%
1983 13.42 million -30.6%
1984 22.36 million +66.6%
1985 18.80 million -15.9%
1986 18.25 million -2.9%
1987 21.02 million +15.2%
1988 19.81 million -5.8%
1989 18.59 million -6.2%
1990 18.08 million -2.7%
1991 20.08 million +11.0%
1992 12.96 million -35.5%
1993 11.24 million -13.2%
1994 15.68 million +39.5%
1995 16.71 million +6.6%
1996 20.95 million +25.4%
1997 22.15 million +5.7%
1998 22.93 million +3.5%
1999 21.22 million -7.4%
2000 23.88 million +12.5%
2001 21.16 million -11.4%
2002 23.01 million +8.8%
2003 20.42 million -11.3%
2004 19.09 million -6.5%
2005 21.05 million +10.3%
2006 20.28 million -3.7%
2007 19.72 million -2.7%
2008 19.26 million -2.4%
2009 18.66 million -3.1%
2010 16.02 million -14.1%
2011 16.80 million +4.9%
2012 17.28 million +2.8%
2013 20.03 million +15.9%
2014 17.76 million -11.4%
2015 14.86 million -16.3%
2016 15.07 million +1.4%
2017 17.39 million +15.3%
2018 19.30 million +11.0%
2019 19.24 million -0.3%
2020 18.22 million -5.3%
2021 17.20 million -5.6%
2022 17.91 million +4.1%
2023 17.94 million +0.2%
2024 16.74 million -6.7%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 16.74 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 6.38 million, 2.6× the median. (33 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 16.74 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 934,836, 17.9× the median. (36 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 11.87 million 8.41 million 16.91 million 9
1970s 17.04 million 12.14 million 19.22 million 10
1980s 18.52 million 13.42 million 22.36 million 10
1990s 18.20 million 11.24 million 22.93 million 10
2000s 20.65 million 18.66 million 23.88 million 10
2010s 17.38 million 14.86 million 20.03 million 10
2020s 17.60 million 16.74 million 18.22 million 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 10 Australia 29.86 million compare
  2. 11 Guatemala 22.91 million compare
  3. 12 Philippines 18.69 million compare
  4. 14 Egypt 13.31 million compare
  5. 15 Argentina 12.26 million compare
  6. 16 Peru 12.04 million compare

See the full ranking of 110 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is sugar cane production in South Africa?
Sugar cane production in South Africa was 16.74 million in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest sugar cane production recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 23.88 million in 2000.
What is the lowest sugar cane production recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 8.41 million in 1965.
How does South Africa rank for sugar cane production?
South Africa ranks 13th out of 110 countries with data for 2024.
Is sugar cane production rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Sugar cane production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Sugar cane production in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 14 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/sugar-cane-production/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Sugar cane production
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
110 places, 6,454 data points, 1961–2024
Last refreshed