Corn: Attainable crop yields

Attainable yields are feasible crop yields based on outputs from high-yielding areas of similar climate. They are moreconservative than absolute biophysical ‘potential yields’, but are achievable using current technologies andmanagement (e.g. fertilizers and irrigation). Corn (maize) yields are measured in tonnes per hectare.

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Sort by: Corn attainable yield, 2012
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    • 9.83
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    • 5.77
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    • 4.84
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    Data

    Corn: Attainable crop yields

    See all data and research on:

    What you should know about this indicator

    • Attainable yields are more conservative than biophysical 'potential yields', but should be achievable using current technologies and management (e.g. fertilizers and irrigation).
    • Attainable yields are based on assessments for the year 2000. Real attainable yield pre-2000 may be lower; and post-2000 may be higher than these values.
    Corn: Attainable crop yields
    Attainable yields are estimates of feasible crop yields calculated from high-yielding areas of similar climate. Yields are measured in tonnes per hectare.
    Source
    Mueller et al. (2012) – with major processing by Our World in Data
    Last updated
    March 26, 2025
    Next expected update
    March 2026
    Date range
    1850–2024
    Unit
    tonnes per hectare

    Sources and processing

    This data is based on the following sources

    Mueller et al. – Closing yield gaps through nutrient and water management

    Retrieved on
    March 26, 2024
    Citation
    This is the citation of the original data obtained from the source, prior to any processing or adaptation by Our World in Data. To cite data downloaded from this page, please use the suggested citation given in Reuse This Work below.
    Mueller, N., Gerber, J., Johnston, M. et al. (2012) - Closing yield gaps through nutrient and water management. Nature 490, 254-257. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11420
    Retrieved on
    March 26, 2024
    Citation
    This is the citation of the original data obtained from the source, prior to any processing or adaptation by Our World in Data. To cite data downloaded from this page, please use the suggested citation given in Reuse This Work below.
    Mueller, N., Gerber, J., Johnston, M. et al. (2012) - Closing yield gaps through nutrient and water management. Nature 490, 254-257. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11420

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    “Data Page: Corn: Attainable crop yields”, part of the following publication: Hannah Ritchie, Pablo Rosado, and Max Roser (2022) - “Crop Yields”. Data adapted from Mueller et al.. Retrieved from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20250718-083422/grapher/maize-attainable-yield.html [online resource] (archived on July 18, 2025).
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    Mueller et al. (2012) – with major processing by Our World in Data

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    Mueller et al. (2012) – with major processing by Our World in Data. “Corn: Attainable crop yields” [dataset]. Mueller et al., “Closing yield gaps through nutrient and water management” [original data]. Retrieved July 29, 2025 from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20250718-083422/grapher/maize-attainable-yield.html (archived on July 18, 2025).