– Dates Production refers to the total quantity of dates harvested and produced within a country during a specified period, measured in tonnes.
Africa Dates Production was 4,311 Thousand Tonnes in 2024, up 1.8% on 2023. The Africa Dates Production dataset provides a comprehensive assessment of date cultivation, production performance, and horticultural development across the African region between 2015 and 2024.
Africa Dates Production moved from 3,689 Thousand Tonnes in 2015 to 4,311 Thousand Tonnes in 2024 (+16.9%), an average of +1.7% a year. The series high was 4,311 Thousand Tonnes in 2024 and the low 3,639 Thousand Tonnes in 2016.
The gap between the series high (2024) and low (2016) is 672.6 Thousand Tonnes. The sharpest single-year move was +5.1% in 2020.
Within Africa, Egypt has the highest value in 2024 at 1,750 Thousand Tonnes, 40.6% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2024Peak | 4,311 | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 4,234 | −1.6% |
| 2022 | 4,303 | +4.5% |
| 2021 | 4,118 | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 4,063 | +5.1% |
| 2019 | 3,864 | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 3,742 | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 3,689 | +1.4% |
| 2016 Trough | 3,639 | −1.4% |
| 2015 | 3,689 | — |
Data definition
Dates Production — – Dates Production refers to the total quantity of dates harvested and produced within a country during a specified period, measured in tonnes. The indicator reflects the scale of date palm cultivation, agricultural productivity, and the contribution of date farming to the agricultural and horticultural sectors. It is used to assess domestic production capacity, food supply, and the availability of dates for consumption, processing, and export. 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 dates harvested from date palm trees (Phoenix dactylifera) and recorded as primary agricultural output. It covers dates produced for fresh consumption, drying, food processing, confectionery, syrup production, and export markets. The figures represent harvested production quantities collected from official agricultural statistics and standardized by the FAO to enable international comparison across countries and years.
The data excludes processed date products such as date syrup, date paste, date sugar, and other value-added products. It also excludes date imports and exports, cultivation area, yield per hectare, post-harvest losses, inventory changes, and informal or unrecorded production not captured in official agricultural statistics. Other fruit crops such as figs, raisins, prunes, and dried fruits are not included in this indicator.
Dates Production — – Dates Production refers to the total quantity of dates harvested and produced within a country during a specified period, measured in tonnes. The indicator reflects the scale of date palm cultivation, agricultural productivity, and the contribution of date farming to the agricultural and horticultural sectors. It is used to assess domestic production capacity, food supply, and the availability of dates for consumption, processing, and export. The data presented by Our World in Data is based on statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Measured in Tonnes, the dataset serves as an important benchmark for evaluating regional agricultural productivity, the contribution of leading date-producing countries, and the overall development of Africa's date farming industry. Based on the reported data, Africa's total dates production increased from 3.69 million tonnes in 2015 to 4.31 million tonnes in 2024, representing an overall growth of nearly 17% during the study period. Production expanded steadily through most years, exceeding 4.30 million tonnes in 2022, followed by a slight decline in 2023 before recovering to a new period high in 2024.
Egypt remained the largest producer throughout the period, with production fluctuating between 1.54 million tonnes and 1.85 million tonnes, ending at 1.75 million tonnes in 2024. Algeria consistently ranked second, increasing production from 990.38 thousand tonnes in 2015 to 1.34 million tonnes in 2024, reflecting strong long-term growth. Libya also maintained stable output, rising gradually from 173.35 thousand tonnes to 187.04 thousand tonnes over the decade. Morocco experienced greater year-to-year variability but increased overall from 100.38 thousand tonnes in 2015 to 111.89 thousand tonnes in 2024, while Cameroon remained a relatively small producer with production consistently around 590–601 tonnes. Production from the remaining African countries also expanded steadily, increasing from 739.61 thousand tonnes in 2015 to 924.28 thousand tonnes in 2024, highlighting broader regional growth beyond the major producers.
The dataset provides valuable insights into Africa's dates production trends, country-level performance, regional supply dynamics, and agricultural development. It supports production benchmarking, market assessment, investment planning, policy formulation, food security analysis, and long-term evaluation of the continent's expanding date cultivation industry.
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Definition – Dates Production refers to the total quantity of dates harvested and produced within a country during a specified period, measured in tonnes. The indicator reflects the scale of date palm cultivation, agricultural productivity, and the contribution of date farming to the agricultural and horticultural sectors. It is used to assess domestic production capacity, food supply, and the availability of dates for consumption, processing, and export. The data presented by Our World in Data is based on statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Africa Dates Production was 4,311 Thousand Tonnes in 2024, up 1.8% on 2023.
Africa Dates Production moved from 3,689 Thousand Tonnes in 2015 to 4,311 Thousand Tonnes in 2024 (+16.9%), an average of +1.7% a year. The series high was 4,311 Thousand Tonnes in 2024 and the low 3,639 Thousand Tonnes in 2016.
The highest value was 4,311 Thousand Tonnes in 2024 and the lowest was 3,639 Thousand Tonnes in 2016.
Included: The data includes the annual production of dates harvested from date palm trees (Phoenix dactylifera) and recorded as primary agricultural output. It covers dates produced for fresh consumption, drying, food processing, confectionery, syrup production, and export markets. The figures represent harvested production quantities collected from official agricultural statistics and standardized by the FAO to enable international comparison across countries and years. Excluded: The data excludes processed date products such as date syrup, date paste, date sugar, and other value-added products. It also excludes date imports and exports, cultivation area, yield per hectare, post-harvest losses, inventory changes, and informal or unrecorded production not captured in official agricultural statistics. Other fruit crops such as figs, raisins, prunes, and dried fruits are not included in this indicator.
The series is sourced from Our World in Data (https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/global-food?time=2023&country=USA~DEU~FRA~GBR~BRA~ZAF%3BhideControls&Food=Dates&Metric=Production&Per+capita=false). It covers 2015–2024 and is reported in Thousand Tonnes.
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