Sweet potato production in Nigeria
Nigeria: Sweet potato production was 4.09 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
4.09 million tonnes
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
3rd
of 120 countries
All-time high
4.14 million tonnes
in 2019
All-time low
80,000 tonnes
in 1985
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Sweet potato 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
In 2024, sweet potato production in Nigeria stood at 4.09 million tonnes.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sweet potato production in Nigeria peaked at 4.14 million tonnes in 2019 and was at its lowest, 80,000 tonnes, in 1985.
That places Nigeria 3rd out of 120 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Sweet potato production in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 149,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 154,000 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1963 | 159,000 tonnes | +3.2% |
| 1964 | 164,000 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1965 | 169,000 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1966 | 174,000 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1967 | 179,000 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1968 | 185,000 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1969 | 190,000 tonnes | +2.7% |
| 1970 | 113,000 tonnes | -40.5% |
| 1971 | 110,000 tonnes | -2.7% |
| 1972 | 100,000 tonnes | -9.1% |
| 1973 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 80,000 tonnes | -20.0% |
| 1986 | 83,000 tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1987 | 93,000 tonnes | +12.0% |
| 1988 | 110,000 tonnes | +18.3% |
| 1989 | 120,000 tonnes | +9.1% |
| 1990 | 143,000 tonnes | +19.2% |
| 1991 | 184,000 tonnes | +28.7% |
| 1992 | 218,000 tonnes | +18.5% |
| 1993 | 359,000 tonnes | +64.7% |
| 1994 | 305,000 tonnes | -15.0% |
| 1995 | 1.17 million tonnes | +283.0% |
| 1996 | 1.48 million tonnes | +26.5% |
| 1997 | 1.49 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 1.56 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1999 | 2.45 million tonnes | +57.1% |
| 2000 | 2.47 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 2.47 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 2.63 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 2003 | 2.80 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 2004 | 3.00 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 2005 | 3.21 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 2006 | 3.46 million tonnes | +8.0% |
| 2007 | 2.43 million tonnes | -29.8% |
| 2008 | 3.32 million tonnes | +36.4% |
| 2009 | 3.30 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 3.47 million tonnes | +5.1% |
| 2011 | 3.52 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 3.59 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 3.68 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 3.73 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 3.86 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 3.93 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 3.99 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 4.06 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 4.14 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 4.06 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 4.09 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 4.10 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 4.08 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 4.09 million tonnes | +0.2% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 4.09 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 94,021 tonnes, 43.5× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 4.09 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 179,140 tonnes, 22.8× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Sweet potato 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +283.0% | 305,000 tonnes | 1.17 million tonnes |
| 1993 | +64.7% | 218,000 tonnes | 359,000 tonnes |
| 1999 | +57.1% | 1.56 million tonnes | 2.45 million tonnes |
| 1970 | -40.5% | 190,000 tonnes | 113,000 tonnes |
| 2008 | +36.4% | 2.43 million tonnes | 3.32 million tonnes |
| 2007 | -29.8% | 3.46 million tonnes | 2.43 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 169,222 tonnes | 149,000 tonnes | 190,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 102,300 tonnes | 100,000 tonnes | 113,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 98,600 tonnes | 80,000 tonnes | 120,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 935,900 tonnes | 143,000 tonnes | 2.45 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.91 million tonnes | 2.43 million tonnes | 3.46 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.80 million tonnes | 3.47 million tonnes | 4.14 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.09 million tonnes | 4.06 million tonnes | 4.10 million 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 sweet potato production in Nigeria?
- Sweet potato production in Nigeria was 4.09 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 sweet potato production recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 4.14 million tonnes in 2019.
- What is the lowest sweet potato production recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 80,000 tonnes in 1985.
- How does Nigeria rank for sweet potato production?
- Nigeria ranks 3rd out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sweet potato production rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. 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 Sweet potato 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
Sweet potato production is measured in tonnes.