Beef production in Malawi
Malawi: Beef production was 73,662 tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
73,662 tonnes
Change on year
up 6.4%
World rank
84th
of 198 countries
All-time high
73,662 tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
4,100 tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Beef production in Malawi, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2024, beef production in Malawi stood at 73,662 tonnes. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
The figure is up 6.4% on the previous year and up 86.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, beef production in Malawi peaked at 73,662 tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4,100 tonnes, in 1961.
That places Malawi 84th out of 198 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Beef production in Malawi, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4,100 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 4,523 tonnes | +10.3% |
| 1963 | 5,131 tonnes | +13.4% |
| 1964 | 5,069 tonnes | -1.2% |
| 1965 | 5,121 tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1966 | 5,520 tonnes | +7.8% |
| 1967 | 6,655 tonnes | +20.6% |
| 1968 | 7,123 tonnes | +7.0% |
| 1969 | 7,368 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1970 | 7,922 tonnes | +7.5% |
| 1971 | 7,527 tonnes | -5.0% |
| 1972 | 7,293 tonnes | -3.1% |
| 1973 | 7,964 tonnes | +9.2% |
| 1974 | 8,848 tonnes | +11.1% |
| 1975 | 9,179 tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1976 | 8,882 tonnes | -3.2% |
| 1977 | 10,392 tonnes | +17.0% |
| 1978 | 10,590 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1979 | 10,864 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1980 | 11,850 tonnes | +9.1% |
| 1981 | 16,626 tonnes | +40.3% |
| 1982 | 18,000 tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1983 | 15,210 tonnes | -15.5% |
| 1984 | 15,257 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 10,282 tonnes | -32.6% |
| 1986 | 16,181 tonnes | +57.4% |
| 1987 | 15,551 tonnes | -3.9% |
| 1988 | 16,160 tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1989 | 15,554 tonnes | -3.8% |
| 1990 | 16,857 tonnes | +8.4% |
| 1991 | 17,124 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 16,791 tonnes | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 17,600 tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1994 | 15,000 tonnes | -14.8% |
| 1995 | 15,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 22,550 tonnes | +50.3% |
| 1997 | 12,120 tonnes | -46.3% |
| 1998 | 14,342 tonnes | +18.3% |
| 1999 | 14,555 tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 17,425 tonnes | +19.7% |
| 2001 | 19,475 tonnes | +11.8% |
| 2002 | 21,876 tonnes | +12.3% |
| 2003 | 22,588 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 22,089 tonnes | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 21,344 tonnes | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 24,104 tonnes | +12.9% |
| 2007 | 26,583 tonnes | +10.3% |
| 2008 | 28,815 tonnes | +8.4% |
| 2009 | 30,046 tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 32,225 tonnes | +7.3% |
| 2011 | 34,055 tonnes | +5.7% |
| 2012 | 35,683 tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 38,382 tonnes | +7.6% |
| 2014 | 39,514 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 42,362 tonnes | +7.2% |
| 2016 | 41,615 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 45,736 tonnes | +9.9% |
| 2018 | 50,018 tonnes | +9.4% |
| 2019 | 55,653 tonnes | +11.3% |
| 2020 | 56,831 tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 58,918 tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2022 | 66,227 tonnes | +12.4% |
| 2023 | 69,241 tonnes | +4.6% |
| 2024 | 73,662 tonnes | +6.4% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 73,662 tonnes is above the median for low income countries, which is 55,481 tonnes, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 73,662 tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 39,552 tonnes, 1.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Beef production 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | +57.4% | 10,282 tonnes | 16,181 tonnes |
| 1997 | -46.3% | 22,550 tonnes | 12,120 tonnes |
| 1996 | +50.3% | 15,000 tonnes | 22,550 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5,623 tonnes | 4,100 tonnes | 7,368 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 8,946 tonnes | 7,293 tonnes | 10,864 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 15,067 tonnes | 10,282 tonnes | 18,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 16,194 tonnes | 12,120 tonnes | 22,550 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 23,434 tonnes | 17,425 tonnes | 30,046 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 41,524 tonnes | 32,225 tonnes | 55,653 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 64,976 tonnes | 56,831 tonnes | 73,662 tonnes | 5 |
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 beef production in Malawi?
- Beef production in Malawi was 73,662 tonnes in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest beef production recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 73,662 tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest beef production recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,100 tonnes in 1961.
- How does Malawi rank for beef production?
- Malawi ranks 84th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is beef production rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 86.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Beef production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).