Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Malawi
Malawi: Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture was 4,800 metric tons in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Malawi, 1960–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in metric tons.
Analysis
In 2024, seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Malawi stood at 4,800 metric tons.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Malawi peaked at 12,217 metric tons in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0 metric tons, in 1960.
That places Malawi 103rd out of 215 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.
Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Malawi, year by year
| Year | metric tons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1961 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1962 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1963 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1964 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1965 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1966 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1967 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1968 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1969 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1970 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1971 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1972 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1973 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1974 | 2 metric tons | — |
| 1975 | 6 metric tons | +200.0% |
| 1976 | 7 metric tons | +16.7% |
| 1977 | 14 metric tons | +100.0% |
| 1978 | 32 metric tons | +128.6% |
| 1979 | 49 metric tons | +53.1% |
| 1980 | 70 metric tons | +42.9% |
| 1981 | 82 metric tons | +17.1% |
| 1982 | 107 metric tons | +30.5% |
| 1983 | 143 metric tons | +33.6% |
| 1984 | 123 metric tons | -14.0% |
| 1985 | 180 metric tons | +46.3% |
| 1986 | 188 metric tons | +4.4% |
| 1987 | 203 metric tons | +8.0% |
| 1988 | 215 metric tons | +5.9% |
| 1989 | 217 metric tons | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 197 metric tons | -9.2% |
| 1991 | 223 metric tons | +13.2% |
| 1992 | 223 metric tons | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 255 metric tons | +14.3% |
| 1994 | 225 metric tons | -11.8% |
| 1995 | 226 metric tons | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 240 metric tons | +6.2% |
| 1997 | 231 metric tons | -3.8% |
| 1998 | 229 metric tons | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 590 metric tons | +157.6% |
| 2000 | 530 metric tons | -10.2% |
| 2001 | 568 metric tons | +7.2% |
| 2002 | 642 metric tons | +13.0% |
| 2003 | 666 metric tons | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 733 metric tons | +10.1% |
| 2005 | 812 metric tons | +10.8% |
| 2006 | 1,500 metric tons | +84.7% |
| 2007 | 1,500 metric tons | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1,700 metric tons | +13.3% |
| 2009 | 1,620 metric tons | -4.7% |
| 2010 | 2,631 metric tons | +62.4% |
| 2011 | 2,833 metric tons | +7.7% |
| 2012 | 3,232 metric tons | +14.1% |
| 2013 | 3,705 metric tons | +14.6% |
| 2014 | 4,742 metric tons | +28.0% |
| 2015 | 4,974 metric tons | +4.9% |
| 2016 | 7,646 metric tons | +53.7% |
| 2017 | 12,217 metric tons | +59.8% |
| 2018 | 9,014 metric tons | -26.2% |
| 2019 | 8,262 metric tons | -8.3% |
| 2020 | 9,393 metric tons | +13.7% |
| 2021 | 9,948 metric tons | +5.9% |
| 2022 | 7,148 metric tons | -28.1% |
| 2023 | 4,780 metric tons | -33.1% |
| 2024 | 4,800 metric tons | +0.4% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 4,800 metric tons is above the median for low income countries, which is 1,165 metric tons, 4.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 4,800 metric tons is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,824 metric tons, 2.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | +200.0% | 2 metric tons | 6 metric tons |
| 1999 | +157.6% | 229 metric tons | 590 metric tons |
| 1978 | +128.6% | 14 metric tons | 32 metric tons |
| 1977 | +100.0% | 7 metric tons | 14 metric tons |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 metric tons | 0 metric tons | 0 metric tons | 10 |
| 1970s | 11 metric tons | 0 metric tons | 49 metric tons | 10 |
| 1980s | 152.8 metric tons | 70 metric tons | 217 metric tons | 10 |
| 1990s | 263.9 metric tons | 197 metric tons | 590 metric tons | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,027 metric tons | 530 metric tons | 1,700 metric tons | 10 |
| 2010s | 5,926 metric tons | 2,631 metric tons | 12,217 metric tons | 10 |
| 2020s | 7,214 metric tons | 4,780 metric tons | 9,948 metric tons | 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 seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Malawi?
- Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Malawi was 4,800 metric tons in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 12,217 metric tons in 2017.
- What is the lowest seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 metric tons in 1960.
- How does Malawi rank for seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture?
- Malawi ranks 103rd out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. 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 (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Aquaculture means raising fish and other seafood — including molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic plants — in farms. Capture fishery production is how much wild fish is caught, whether for commercial, industrial, recreational, or subsistence use.