Sugar cane production in South Africa
South Africa: Sugar cane production was 16.74 million tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Sugar cane 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, sugar cane production in South Africa stood at 16.74 million tonnes.
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 tonnes in 2000 and was at its lowest, 8.41 million tonnes, 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 11.87 million tonnes | 8.41 million tonnes | 16.91 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 17.04 million tonnes | 12.14 million tonnes | 19.22 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 18.52 million tonnes | 13.42 million tonnes | 22.36 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.20 million tonnes | 11.24 million tonnes | 22.93 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.65 million tonnes | 18.66 million tonnes | 23.88 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.38 million tonnes | 14.86 million tonnes | 20.03 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.60 million tonnes | 16.74 million tonnes | 18.22 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.191 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.36 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.6318 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.18 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.2153 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 209.92 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sugar cane production in South Africa?
- Sugar cane production in South Africa was 16.74 million 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 sugar cane production recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 23.88 million tonnes in 2000.
- What is the lowest sugar cane production recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.41 million tonnes 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 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Sugar cane 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
Sugar cane production is measured in tonnes.