Share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. GDP per capita in South Africa
South Africa: Share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. GDP per capita was 45 percent in 2021. ▼ Falling
Share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. GDP per capita in South Africa, 2001–2021
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in percent.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 45 percent for share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. gdp per capita in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.3% on the previous year and down 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. gdp per capita in South Africa peaked at 57 percent in 2001 and was at its lowest, 45 percent, in 2021.
That places South Africa 82nd out of 182 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. GDP per capita in South Africa, year by year
| Year | percent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 57 percent | — |
| 2002 | 56 percent | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 56 percent | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 56 percent | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 55 percent | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 55 percent | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 54 percent | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 53 percent | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 52 percent | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 51 percent | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 50 percent | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 50 percent | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 50 percent | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 51 percent | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 51 percent | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 51 percent | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 51 percent | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 51 percent | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 49 percent | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 47 percent | -4.1% |
| 2021 | 45 percent | -4.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 45 percent is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 42 percent, 1.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 45 percent is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 58 percent, 78% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 54.89 percent | 52 percent | 57 percent | 9 |
| 2010s | 50.5 percent | 49 percent | 51 percent | 10 |
| 2020s | 46 percent | 45 percent | 47 percent | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 79 Brunei Darussalam 46 percent compare
- 79 Saudi Arabia 46 percent compare
- 79 Uzbekistan 46 percent compare
- 82 Papua New Guinea 45 percent compare
- 84 Cuba 44 percent compare
- 84 Guatemala 44 percent compare
More energy & mining data for South Africa
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -0.3095 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 17.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. gdp per capita in South Africa?
- Share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. gdp per capita in South Africa was 45 percent in 2021, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. gdp per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 57 percent in 2001.
- What is the lowest share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. gdp per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 45 percent in 2021.
- How does South Africa rank for share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. gdp per capita?
- South Africa ranks 82nd out of 182 countries with data for 2021.
- Is share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Share of calories from cereals, roots, and tubers vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
A high share of calories from cereals, roots and tubers typically represents lower dietary diversity. GDP per capita is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.