– Cashew Nut Production refers to the total quantity of cashew nuts harvested and produced within a country during a specified period, measured in tonnes.
Africa Cashew Nut Production was 2.58 Thousand Tonnes in 2024, down 3.1% on 2023. The Africa Cashew Nut Production dataset provides a comprehensive assessment of the region’s cashew cultivation performance and agricultural production development between 2015 and 2024. Measured in Tonnes, the dataset serves as an important benchmark for evaluating cashew farming productivity, crop output, regional production capacity, supply chain performance, and the overall growth of Africa’s cashew industry.
Africa Cashew Nut Production moved from 1.73 Thousand Tonnes in 2015 to 2.58 Thousand Tonnes in 2024 (+49.4%), an average of +4.6% a year. The series high was 2.66 Thousand Tonnes in 2023 and the low 1.64 Thousand Tonnes in 2016.
The gap between the series high (2023) and low (2016) is 1.02 Thousand Tonnes. The sharpest single-year move was +13.7% in 2017.
Within Africa, Tanzania has the highest value in 2024 at 0.528 Thousand Tonnes, 20.5% of the regional total.
Country ranking
Thousand Tonnes. Sort by any column, or search for a country.
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Full series
Complete annual series with year-on-year change. Values are reported in Thousand Tonnes.
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| Year | Thousand Tonnes | Change vs prior year |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2.58 | −3.1% |
| 2023Peak | 2.66 | +12% |
| 2022 | 2.38 | +10.1% |
| 2021 | 2.16 | +7.8% |
| 2020 | 2.00 | +9.4% |
| 2019 | 1.83 | −9.1% |
| 2018 | 2.01 | +7.9% |
| 2017 | 1.86 | +13.7% |
| 2016 Trough | 1.64 | −5% |
| 2015 | 1.73 | — |
Data definition
Cashew Nut Production — – Cashew Nut Production refers to the total quantity of cashew nuts harvested and produced within a country during a specified period, measured in tonnes. The indicator reflects the scale of cashew cultivation and agricultural output and is used to assess crop productivity, farming capacity, and the contribution of cashew production to the agricultural sector. The data presented by Our World in Data is based on statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The data includes the annual production of cashew nuts harvested from cashew trees and recorded as agricultural output. It covers cashew nuts produced for food consumption, processing into cashew kernels, export markets, and other food-related applications. The figures represent harvested production quantities collected from official agricultural statistics and standardized by the FAO to enable international comparisons across countries and years.
The data excludes cashew kernel processing output, cashew nut exports and imports, cashew-based processed products such as roasted cashews, cashew butter, and confectionery products. It also excludes cashew cultivation area, yield per hectare, post-harvest losses, inventory changes, and informal or unrecorded production not captured in official agricultural statistics. Other tree nuts such as almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and peanuts are not included in this indicator.
Cashew Nut Production — – Cashew Nut Production refers to the total quantity of cashew nuts harvested and produced within a country during a specified period, measured in tonnes. The indicator reflects the scale of cashew cultivation and agricultural output and is used to assess crop productivity, farming capacity, and the contribution of cashew production to the agricultural sector. The data presented by Our World in Data is based on statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Based on the validated data, Africa recorded a strong upward production trend during the study period, supported by increasing contributions from major producing countries and expansion in regional cultivation capacity. Total cashew nut production declined slightly from 1,725.12 tonnes in 2015 to 1,638.89 tonnes in 2016 before recovering to 1,863.83 tonnes in 2017. Production continued increasing to 2,011.67 tonnes in 2018 and reached 2,002.06 tonnes in 2020 after fluctuations during 2019. Output expanded further to 2,157.32 tonnes in 2021 and achieved a study-period high of 2,659.93 tonnes in 2023. Production remained strong at 2,577.48 tonnes in 2024, reflecting sustained growth in Africa’s cashew production sector.
Among key producers, Tanzania demonstrated the strongest expansion, increasing from 197.93 tonnes in 2015 to 528.26 tonnes in 2024, with significant growth recorded in recent years. Ghana also showed notable improvement, rising from 50 tonnes in 2015 to 218.58 tonnes in 2024, indicating increased production capacity. Nigeria maintained a relatively stable production base but experienced a gradual decline from 97.15 tonnes in 2015 to 80.94 tonnes in 2024. Kenya recorded a consistent reduction in output, declining from 28.41 tonnes in 2015 to 7.80 tonnes in 2024.
Overall, the dataset highlights Africa’s growing importance in the global cashew nut industry, driven by expanding production in major producing countries. It provides valuable insights into agricultural performance, production trends, benchmarking, forecasting, investment opportunities, and strategic planning for farmers, policymakers, exporters, processors, investors, and researchers to strengthen Africa’s cashew nut value chain.
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Definition – Cashew Nut Production refers to the total quantity of cashew nuts harvested and produced within a country during a specified period, measured in tonnes. The indicator reflects the scale of cashew cultivation and agricultural output and is used to assess crop productivity, farming capacity, and the contribution of cashew production to the agricultural sector. The data presented by Our World in Data is based on statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Africa Cashew Nut Production was 2.58 Thousand Tonnes in 2024, down 3.1% on 2023.
Africa Cashew Nut Production moved from 1.73 Thousand Tonnes in 2015 to 2.58 Thousand Tonnes in 2024 (+49.4%), an average of +4.6% a year. The series high was 2.66 Thousand Tonnes in 2023 and the low 1.64 Thousand Tonnes in 2016.
The highest value was 2.66 Thousand Tonnes in 2023 and the lowest was 1.64 Thousand Tonnes in 2016.
Included: The data includes the annual production of cashew nuts harvested from cashew trees and recorded as agricultural output. It covers cashew nuts produced for food consumption, processing into cashew kernels, export markets, and other food-related applications. The figures represent harvested production quantities collected from official agricultural statistics and standardized by the FAO to enable international comparisons across countries and years. Excluded: The data excludes cashew kernel processing output, cashew nut exports and imports, cashew-based processed products such as roasted cashews, cashew butter, and confectionery products. It also excludes cashew cultivation area, yield per hectare, post-harvest losses, inventory changes, and informal or unrecorded production not captured in official agricultural statistics. Other tree nuts such as almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and peanuts are not included in this indicator.
The series is sourced from Our World in Data (https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/global-food?time=latest&pickerSort=asc&Food=Cashew+nuts&Metric=Production&Per+capita=false&country=USA~DEU~FRA~GBR~BRA~ZAF%3BhideControls). It covers 2015–2024 and is reported in Thousand Tonnes.
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