Global Soybean Production: Area, Yields, and Key Producers

Few crops have reshaped global agriculture as dramatically as the soybean. Once confined to smallholder farms in East Asia, it now dominates agricultural landscapes across three continents and fuels supply chains for animal feed, edible oil, and plant-based food products. Understanding where soybeans are grown, how much is produced, and who leads the world in output is essential for anyone studying oilseed processing or modern agri-food systems.

A crop that conquered the world
Global cultivation area and production volumes
Why production keeps climbing
Major soybean-producing countries
Brazil – the world’s largest producer
United States – yield leader and technology benchmark
Argentina – third-largest, climate-sensitive
China – large producer, larger importer
India – growing acreage, persistent yield gap
The Americas’ dominance in global soybean supply
Yield comparison across major producers
Long-term production trends and future outlook

A crop that conquered the world

The soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] originated in Eastern Asia, most likely in north and central China, where it has been cultivated as a food crop for thousands of years. Its large-scale commercial spread to the Western Hemisphere, however, is a twentieth-century story – and the numbers since then have been staggering.

According to FAO data compiled by the Sustainable Nutrition Initiative, global soybean harvested area grew from just 24 million hectares in 1961 to 134 million hectares in 2022 – a rise of 462%. Over the same period, total production climbed by 1,198% and yield per hectare increased by 131%. These figures place soybean among the fastest-expanding major crops in recorded agricultural history.

The crop’s versatility explains this growth. Soybeans are primarily an industrial crop, cultivated for oil and protein, and despite a relatively modest oil content of around 20%, they are the largest single source of edible oil globally and account for roughly 50% of total oilseed production. Beyond oil, soybean meal is indispensable in poultry and livestock rations, and the rise of plant-based food products has only deepened global demand.

Global cultivation area and production volumes

The course-level figure of approximately 65 million hectares and 137 million tons of annual production represents an earlier baseline that has since been far surpassed. Today, soybean cultivation is substantially larger. According to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, the ten-year average production from 2015 to 2024 stood at 364.77 million metric tons, with compound annual growth of 3% over that decade. For the 2024/25 marketing year, global soybean output is projected at 427 million metric tons – up 8% from the previous year.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) notes that soybean production reached 353 million tonnes in 2020 from around 231 million tonnes in 2008, with cultivation spread over 126 million hectares – reflecting a consistent compound annual growth rate of 3.6%. South America accounts for a significant share of this growth: production gains there have been driven by both a dramatic rise in cultivated area and a threefold improvement in yields since the 1960s.

Why production keeps climbing

Three interconnected factors have driven the long-term rise in soybean output. First, harvested area has expanded continuously, particularly in Brazil and Argentina, where large tracts of savanna and grassland were converted to soybean fields. Second, yield-enhancing technologies – including high-yield varieties, precision farming, and improved pest management – have raised productivity per hectare. Third, demand from the animal feed sector and, more recently, the biofuel and plant-protein industries, has provided a reliable commercial pull. The FAO notes that under rainfed conditions, good soybean yields range from 1.5 to 2.5 tons/ha, while irrigated high-yield varieties can reach 2.5 to 3.5 tons/ha.

Major soybean-producing countries

Soybean production is highly concentrated. A 2024 analysis published in BIO Web of Conferences, drawing on USDA data, confirms that Brazil, the USA, and Argentina together account for nearly 80% of the global soybean sown area – and the top five producers (adding China and India) collectively represent over 90% of world output.

Brazil – the world’s largest producer

Brazil overtook the United States as the top soybean producer in 2019 and has extended its lead since. For the 2024/25 season, Brazil’s output is estimated at 164 million tons, reinforcing its position at the top of the global rankings. Brazil’s rise has been underpinned by large-scale expansion into the Cerrado biome and the rapid adoption of modern agronomy, including no-till farming, tropical-adapted varieties, and biological nitrogen fixation.

United States – yield leader and technology benchmark

The United States held the top production position globally until 2019 and remains the world’s second-largest producer. According to the American Soybean Association’s SoyStats 2024 report, U.S. soybean farmers planted 83.6 million acres (33.8 million hectares) in calendar year 2023, with an average yield of 50.6 bushels per acre and total production of 4.16 billion bushels. The U.S. also exported 52% of that production – 2.21 billion bushels – underscoring its critical role in global supply chains. At the course level, the USA’s average yield of approximately 2.2 tons per hectare places it among the highest-yielding large-scale producers, a position backed by extensive use of precision agriculture and genetically improved varieties.

American soybeans are predominantly planted in May and early June and harvested in late September and October. They rank second only to corn among major U.S. field crops and are commonly grown in rotation with corn – a practice that helps manage soil health and reduce disease pressure.

Argentina – third-largest, climate-sensitive

Argentina is the world’s third-largest soybean producer. In the 2022/23 season, Argentina’s output dropped sharply due to drought but recovered to an expected 48 million tons in 2023/24. Soybeans are grown as both first-crop (75%) and second-crop (25%) in the country, and yield forecasts are sensitive to rainfall patterns – particularly between January and March, which covers the critical pod-filling stage. USDA’s World Agricultural Production circular notes that Argentina’s harvested area for a recent season was forecast at 16.8 million hectares, with yields highly variable due to soil moisture conditions.

China – large producer, larger importer

China is historically the origin of the soybean, and it remains a significant producer with around 20 million tons annually. However, its domestic production is vastly outpaced by its consumption needs. China imports approximately 108 million tons of soybeans annually to meet demand from its livestock and food processing sectors, making it by far the world’s largest importer. China controls around 60% of total global soybean imports.

India – growing acreage, persistent yield gap

India holds the fourth-largest harvested area for soybeans globally and ranks fifth in production. According to the ICAR-National Soybean Research Institute, soybean cultivation in India expanded from just 30,000 hectares in 1970 to nearly 12.9 million hectares in 2024, with production reaching 15.1 million metric tonnes. The crop is concentrated in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, which together account for over 85% of the national area.

Despite this impressive area expansion, India’s productivity lags considerably. Research published in PubMed (2024) notes that India’s national average yield remains stagnant at around 1 ton per hectare – well below the global average of over 2.7 tons per hectare. The causes include the dominance of rainfed farming, photoperiod sensitivity that limits off-season cultivation, soil health degradation from monocropping, and slower varietal adoption rates. Closing this yield gap is considered a national priority, with targets set to raise productivity to 1,700 kg/ha by 2030 and 3,000 kg/ha by 2047.

The Americas’ dominance in global soybean supply

The American continent as a whole accounts for over 93% of world soybean production, with Brazil, the USA, Argentina, Paraguay, and Canada collectively forming the backbone of global supply. Paraguay, though smaller in scale, is a significant exporter; Canada contributes roughly 6.5 million tons per season. Emerging producers such as Russia are expanding soybean acreage, but their share remains modest in the global picture.

This geographic concentration creates both efficiency and vulnerability. When drought hits Argentina or flooding disrupts Brazil’s harvest, global soybean prices respond immediately – as seen in the 2022/23 Argentine drought. Diversification of production into new geographies is a growing topic in international food security discussions.

Yield comparison across major producers

Yield performance varies considerably across producers. According to USDA data analyzed in a 2024 BIO Web of Conferences paper, Turkey leads in soybean yield per hectare at 4.12 t/ha, followed by the USA and Brazil at 3.4 t/ha each, and then Canada and Argentina at 3.09 t/ha and 3.03 t/ha respectively. These figures represent national averages across large cultivated areas – individual farms with optimal management often achieve higher results.

India’s 1 ton/ha national average starkly illustrates the yield gap that exists between smallholder rainfed systems and large-scale mechanized production. The FAO reports that improved soybean varieties under irrigation can yield between 2.5 and 3.5 tons/ha – a range fully achievable in Indian conditions with better variety adoption and crop management, and one that India’s research institutes are actively working toward.

Long-term production trends and future outlook

The trajectory of global soybean production has been consistently upward for six decades. From 1961 to 2022, global soybean production quantity rose by 1,198% – a figure that reflects both area expansion and yield improvement. The 2023 global harvest reached approximately 398 million tons according to USDA data, and projections for 2024/25 push output to over 427 million tons. The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service reports a 3% compound annual growth rate in production over the past decade – a pace that has so far kept up with rising demand from feed, food, and biofuel sectors.

Demand is expected to keep growing. The global soybean market is projected to grow from USD 165.56 billion in 2023 to USD 245.89 billion by 2032, driven by rising meat consumption in developing economies, expanding biodiesel mandates, and growing demand for plant-based proteins. Meeting this demand without further deforestation will require significant yield improvements in existing production areas – a challenge that shapes the research agenda for soybean agronomy worldwide.

What do you think? Given that India has among the largest soybean cultivation areas globally yet one of the lowest yields, what policy or technological interventions do you think would most effectively close this productivity gap? And with the Americas producing over 90% of the world’s soybeans, how should the global food system address the supply risks that come with such heavy geographic concentration?

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 4 / 5. Vote count: 1

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

References

PDF 📄

Table of Contents

A crop that conquered the world 🔗

Global cultivation area and production volumes 🔗

Why production keeps climbing 🔗

Major soybean-producing countries 🔗

Brazil – the world’s largest producer 🔗

United States – yield leader and technology benchmark 🔗

Argentina – third-largest, climate-sensitive 🔗

China – large producer, larger importer 🔗

India – growing acreage, persistent yield gap 🔗

The Americas’ dominance in global soybean supply 🔗

Yield comparison across major producers 🔗

Long-term production trends and future outlook 🔗