Tomato production in South Africa
South Africa: Tomato production was 509,625 tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
509,625 tonnes
Change on year
down 4.3%
World rank
45th
of 174 countries
All-time high
672,176 tonnes
in 2017
All-time low
154,000 tonnes
in 1962
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Tomato 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, tomato production in South Africa stood at 509,625 tonnes.
That represents a change of down 4.3% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tomato production in South Africa peaked at 672,176 tonnes in 2017 and was at its lowest, 154,000 tonnes, in 1962.
That places South Africa 45th out of 174 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Tomato production in South Africa, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 185,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 154,000 tonnes | -16.8% |
| 1963 | 156,000 tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1964 | 210,000 tonnes | +34.6% |
| 1965 | 217,000 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1966 | 195,000 tonnes | -10.1% |
| 1967 | 241,000 tonnes | +23.6% |
| 1968 | 204,000 tonnes | -15.4% |
| 1969 | 239,000 tonnes | +17.2% |
| 1970 | 221,000 tonnes | -7.5% |
| 1971 | 214,000 tonnes | -3.2% |
| 1972 | 272,000 tonnes | +27.1% |
| 1973 | 240,000 tonnes | -11.8% |
| 1974 | 264,000 tonnes | +10.0% |
| 1975 | 330,000 tonnes | +25.0% |
| 1976 | 335,000 tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1977 | 270,000 tonnes | -19.4% |
| 1978 | 293,000 tonnes | +8.5% |
| 1979 | 276,000 tonnes | -5.8% |
| 1980 | 310,000 tonnes | +12.3% |
| 1981 | 384,000 tonnes | +23.9% |
| 1982 | 397,000 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1983 | 362,000 tonnes | -8.8% |
| 1984 | 365,000 tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 411,000 tonnes | +12.6% |
| 1986 | 399,000 tonnes | -2.9% |
| 1987 | 434,307 tonnes | +8.8% |
| 1988 | 390,166 tonnes | -10.2% |
| 1989 | 490,456 tonnes | +25.7% |
| 1990 | 407,904 tonnes | -16.8% |
| 1991 | 462,498 tonnes | +13.4% |
| 1992 | 420,499 tonnes | -9.1% |
| 1993 | 416,202 tonnes | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 385,859 tonnes | -7.3% |
| 1995 | 435,360 tonnes | +12.8% |
| 1996 | 451,622 tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1997 | 444,838 tonnes | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 421,175 tonnes | -5.3% |
| 1999 | 430,847 tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 392,914 tonnes | -8.8% |
| 2001 | 444,822 tonnes | +13.2% |
| 2002 | 450,396 tonnes | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 436,411 tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 483,095 tonnes | +10.7% |
| 2005 | 512,119 tonnes | +6.0% |
| 2006 | 504,840 tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 491,220 tonnes | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 540,470 tonnes | +10.0% |
| 2009 | 533,165 tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 554,108 tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2011 | 511,526 tonnes | -7.7% |
| 2012 | 564,740 tonnes | +10.4% |
| 2013 | 545,842 tonnes | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 513,376 tonnes | -5.9% |
| 2015 | 558,018 tonnes | +8.7% |
| 2016 | 629,974 tonnes | +12.9% |
| 2017 | 672,176 tonnes | +6.7% |
| 2018 | 537,257 tonnes | -20.1% |
| 2019 | 584,452 tonnes | +8.8% |
| 2020 | 599,306 tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 530,843 tonnes | -11.4% |
| 2022 | 471,681 tonnes | -11.1% |
| 2023 | 532,275 tonnes | +12.8% |
| 2024 | 509,625 tonnes | -4.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 509,625 tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 176,320 tonnes, 2.9× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 509,625 tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 80,526 tonnes, 6.3× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 200,111 tonnes | 154,000 tonnes | 241,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 271,500 tonnes | 214,000 tonnes | 335,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 394,293 tonnes | 310,000 tonnes | 490,456 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 427,680 tonnes | 385,859 tonnes | 462,498 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 478,945 tonnes | 392,914 tonnes | 540,470 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 567,147 tonnes | 511,526 tonnes | 672,176 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 528,746 tonnes | 471,681 tonnes | 599,306 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 tomato production in South Africa?
- Tomato production in South Africa was 509,625 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 tomato production recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 672,176 tonnes in 2017.
- What is the lowest tomato production recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 154,000 tonnes in 1962.
- How does South Africa rank for tomato production?
- South Africa ranks 45th out of 174 countries with data for 2024.
- Is tomato production rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. 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 Tomato 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
Tomato production is measured in tonnes.