Share of GDP from agriculture in Malawi
Malawi: Share of GDP from agriculture was 30.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of GDP from agriculture in Malawi, 1980–2025
Source: National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of gdp from agriculture in Malawi is 30.0%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.5% on the previous year and up 30.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of gdp from agriculture in Malawi peaked at 37.2% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 18.6%, in 1994.
Malawi ranks 13th of 203 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 46 years of available data.
Share of GDP from agriculture in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 32.6% | — |
| 1981 | 29.9% | -8.4% |
| 1982 | 31.0% | +3.6% |
| 1983 | 31.8% | +2.6% |
| 1984 | 31.3% | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 31.7% | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 32.3% | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 35.8% | +11.1% |
| 1988 | 36.1% | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 33.7% | -6.6% |
| 1990 | 32.0% | -5.1% |
| 1991 | 33.0% | +3.0% |
| 1992 | 29.1% | -11.9% |
| 1993 | 37.2% | +28.2% |
| 1994 | 18.6% | -50.1% |
| 1995 | 22.3% | +20.2% |
| 1996 | 26.1% | +17.0% |
| 1997 | 25.2% | -3.5% |
| 1998 | 26.8% | +6.2% |
| 1999 | 28.6% | +6.9% |
| 2000 | 29.7% | +3.7% |
| 2001 | 29.3% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 32.3% | +10.0% |
| 2003 | 30.1% | -6.7% |
| 2004 | 28.9% | -4.2% |
| 2005 | 27.4% | -5.2% |
| 2006 | 25.7% | -6.2% |
| 2007 | 22.9% | -10.9% |
| 2008 | 24.9% | +9.0% |
| 2009 | 25.3% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 24.6% | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 23.9% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 23.5% | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 23.8% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 23.9% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 23.0% | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 22.2% | -3.5% |
| 2017 | 22.9% | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 21.6% | -5.6% |
| 2019 | 22.9% | +6.1% |
| 2020 | 25.0% | +9.0% |
| 2021 | 25.5% | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 27.6% | +8.1% |
| 2023 | 28.9% | +4.6% |
| 2024 | 31.8% | +10.1% |
| 2025 | 30.0% | -5.5% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 30.0% is above the median for low income countries, which is 29.4%, 1.0× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 30.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.8%, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of GDP from agriculture in Malawi changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | -50.1% | 37.2% | 18.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 32.6% | 29.9% | 36.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 27.9% | 18.6% | 37.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.6% | 22.9% | 32.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.3% | 21.6% | 24.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.1% | 25.0% | 31.8% | 6 |
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)
- 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)
- Rural population 82.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of gdp from agriculture in Malawi?
- Share of gdp from agriculture in Malawi was 30.0% in 2025, according to National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of gdp from agriculture recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 37.2% in 1993.
- What is the lowest share of gdp from agriculture recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.6% in 1994.
- How does Malawi rank for share of gdp from agriculture?
- Malawi ranks 13th out of 203 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of gdp from agriculture rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of GDP from agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This is measured as the value added from agriculture, forestry and fishing products as a share of gross domestic product (GDP).