Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Malawi
Malawi: Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals was 85.9% in 2022. ▬ Flat
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Malawi, 1994–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total freshwater withdrawal.
Analysis
In 2022, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Malawi stood at 85.9%. That is the lowest value across all 29 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Malawi peaked at 87.1% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 85.9%, in 2005.
That places Malawi 38th out of 180 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 86.4% | — |
| 1995 | 86.6% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 86.7% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 86.8% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 86.9% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 87.0% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 87.1% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 87.1% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 87.1% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 86.7% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 86.3% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 85.9% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 85.9% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 85.9% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 85.9% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 85.9% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 85.9% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 85.9% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 85.9% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 85.9% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 85.9% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 85.9% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 85.9% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 85.9% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 85.9% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 85.9% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 85.9% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 85.9% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 85.9% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 86.7% | 86.4% | 87.0% | 6 |
| 2000s | 86.4% | 85.9% | 87.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 85.9% | 85.9% | 85.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 85.9% | 85.9% | 85.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More agriculture & rural data for Malawi
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 24.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3003 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 201.66 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.19 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0012 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.8241 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 30.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 30.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Malawi?
- Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Malawi was 85.9% in 2022, according to AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 87.1% in 2002.
- What is the lowest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 85.9% in 2005.
- How does Malawi rank for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Malawi ranks 38th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Agricultural water withdrawals as a percentage of total water withdrawals (which is the sum of water used for agriculture, industry and domestic purposes). Agricultural water is defined as the annual quantity of self-supplied water withdrawn for irrigation, livestock and aquaculture purposes.