Arable land in Malawi
Malawi: Arable land was 0.1895 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.1895 hectares per person
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
64th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.4169 hectares per person
in 1966
All-time low
0.1895 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land in Malawi, 1961–2023
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in hectares per person.
Analysis
The most recent figure for arable land in Malawi is 0.1895 hectares per person, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 2.5% on the previous year and down 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Malawi peaked at 0.4169 hectares per person in 1966 and was at its lowest, 0.1895 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places Malawi 64th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in Malawi, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.3499 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.3678 hectares per person | +5.1% |
| 1963 | 0.3717 hectares per person | +1.1% |
| 1964 | 0.3753 hectares per person | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 0.415 hectares per person | +10.6% |
| 1966 | 0.4169 hectares per person | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 0.3951 hectares per person | -5.2% |
| 1968 | 0.4081 hectares per person | +3.3% |
| 1969 | 0.4092 hectares per person | +0.3% |
| 1970 | 0.3884 hectares per person | -5.1% |
| 1971 | 0.4104 hectares per person | +5.7% |
| 1972 | 0.4103 hectares per person | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.4097 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 0.3987 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1975 | 0.3783 hectares per person | -5.1% |
| 1976 | 0.3674 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1977 | 0.3562 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1978 | 0.3528 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1979 | 0.34 hectares per person | -3.6% |
| 1980 | 0.3032 hectares per person | -10.8% |
| 1981 | 0.3069 hectares per person | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 0.3098 hectares per person | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 0.2836 hectares per person | -8.4% |
| 1984 | 0.2796 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 0.269 hectares per person | -3.8% |
| 1986 | 0.2719 hectares per person | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 0.2592 hectares per person | -4.7% |
| 1988 | 0.2456 hectares per person | -5.3% |
| 1989 | 0.2397 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1990 | 0.2357 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1991 | 0.2387 hectares per person | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 0.2269 hectares per person | -4.9% |
| 1993 | 0.2236 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 0.2066 hectares per person | -7.6% |
| 1995 | 0.2266 hectares per person | +9.7% |
| 1996 | 0.2318 hectares per person | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 0.232 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 0.2409 hectares per person | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 0.2444 hectares per person | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 0.243 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 0.2458 hectares per person | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 0.2399 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 2003 | 0.2463 hectares per person | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 0.24 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 0.2492 hectares per person | +3.8% |
| 2006 | 0.25 hectares per person | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 0.2431 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 0.2468 hectares per person | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 0.2431 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 0.2361 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 0.2293 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 0.2228 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 0.2193 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 0.2166 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 0.214 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 0.2114 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 0.2088 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 0.2063 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 0.2038 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 0.2014 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 0.1995 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 0.1945 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 0.1895 hectares per person | -2.5% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 0.1895 hectares per person is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.1837 hectares per person, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 0.1895 hectares per person is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1581 hectares per person, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.3899 hectares per person | 0.3499 hectares per person | 0.4169 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.3812 hectares per person | 0.34 hectares per person | 0.4104 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2769 hectares per person | 0.2397 hectares per person | 0.3098 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2307 hectares per person | 0.2066 hectares per person | 0.2444 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2447 hectares per person | 0.2399 hectares per person | 0.25 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2169 hectares per person | 0.2038 hectares per person | 0.2361 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1962 hectares per person | 0.1895 hectares per person | 0.2014 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 61 Eritrea 0.1988 hectares per person compare
- 62 Tonga 0.1912 hectares per person compare
- 63 South Africa 0.1898 hectares per person compare
- 65 Afghanistan 0.1893 hectares per person compare
- 66 Sierra Leone 0.1872 hectares per person compare
- 67 Syria 0.1865 hectares per person compare
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 arable land in Malawi?
- Arable land in Malawi was 0.1895 hectares per person in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest arable land recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4169 hectares per person in 1966.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1895 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Malawi rank for arable land?
- Malawi ranks 64th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Arable land (hectares per person). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Arable land (hectares per person) includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded.