Top ten cocoa-producing countries in the world in 2020
In 2020, 5.2 million metric tons of cocoa were produced globally, with four African countries — Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon — accounting for 68% of the produce.
Between 2005 and 2022, Cote d'Ivoire's natural rubber production grew at an average of 12% yearly, maintaining its continental dominance. With an estimated population of nearly 29 million, the West African country produced 1.286 million tonnes in 2022, 73% of the continent's output, and placed fourth globally.
Meanwhile, Nigeria's production has grown 158% since 1961, peaking at 155 thousand tonnes in 1991.
Ghana's production has grown steadily, peaking at 117 thousand tonnes in 2022. Liberia and Cameroon complete the top five in Africa as of 2022.
Côte d'Ivoire has maintained its title of Africa's largest producer of natural rubber, increasing production by an average of 13% annually. Nigeria was Africa's largest producer of natural rubber in the early 90s until Côte d'Ivoire took the top spot in 1999. As of 2022, its production capacity was 8.6x more than Nigeria's. In 2022, Côte d'Ivoire produced 1.286 million tonnes of natural rubber; Nigeria and Ghana followed with 149.4 thousand tonnes and 117 thousand tonnes, respectively.
On average, the agricultural sector contributed 24.87% to Nigeria's GDP over the past decade. However, the sector's contribution has been declining since 2020, dropping from 26.21% to 25.18% in 2023.
The sector’s contribution grew between 2014 and 2020, rising from 22.9% to 26.21%. The sector has been plagued with challenges over the past decade, with a couple of them becoming more intense in the past few years
Nigeria's cocoa production has seen significant fluctuations between 1990 and 2022. While there have been periods of growth, such as the increase from 244k tonnes in 1990 to 485k tonnes in 2006, there have also been notable declines. Production hit a low of 203k tonnes in 1995 and faced other dips. Here is the quantity of cocoa produced in Nigeria since 1990.
Cocoa beans are a vital commodity for many countries, driving their economies and supporting livelihoods. Over the years, cocoa production has seen significant fluctuations across different countries.
The world's cocoa-producing countries produced 104.2 million tonnes of cocoa beans between 2000 and 2022, enough to fill about 2.084 billion 50kg bags. Côte d'Ivoire maintains its dominance, accounting for 35.3% of global production in the 23 years under review, with Ghana (16.5%), Indonesia (15.4%), and Nigeria (7.7%) completing the top four.
These are the top ten countries in the period.
Approximately 513 million metric tonnes of rice were produced in 2022/2023 market year, with China and India accounting for more than half combined. Nigeria produced around 5.4 million metric tonnes — 1% of the global production and slightly more than the US.
