Cereal cropland in Malawi
Malawi: Cereal cropland was 19.9% in 2011. ▲ Rising
Cereal cropland in Malawi, 1961–2011
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, Production Yearbook and data files. Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 19.9% for cereal cropland in 2011.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and up 18.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal cropland in Malawi peaked at 20.5% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 9.3%, in 1962.
Malawi ranks 2nd of 51 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Cereal cropland in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 9.3% | — |
| 1962 | 9.3% | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 9.4% | +1.7% |
| 1964 | 9.5% | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 11.8% | +23.6% |
| 1966 | 12.0% | +1.7% |
| 1967 | 10.3% | -13.9% |
| 1968 | 12.5% | +20.8% |
| 1969 | 12.6% | +0.9% |
| 1970 | 11.9% | -5.4% |
| 1971 | 12.8% | +7.3% |
| 1972 | 13.4% | +5.0% |
| 1973 | 13.9% | +3.8% |
| 1974 | 13.5% | -2.9% |
| 1975 | 12.3% | -8.8% |
| 1976 | 12.4% | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 12.5% | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 13.1% | +5.3% |
| 1979 | 13.2% | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 11.2% | -15.4% |
| 1981 | 12.4% | +10.6% |
| 1982 | 13.5% | +8.8% |
| 1983 | 13.0% | -3.4% |
| 1984 | 13.1% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 12.9% | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 13.4% | +4.1% |
| 1987 | 13.3% | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 13.7% | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 14.3% | +4.4% |
| 1990 | 15.1% | +5.9% |
| 1991 | 15.6% | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 15.2% | -2.9% |
| 1993 | 15.2% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 13.1% | -13.9% |
| 1995 | 14.4% | +9.6% |
| 1996 | 14.8% | +3.2% |
| 1997 | 14.8% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 15.3% | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 16.0% | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 16.7% | +4.0% |
| 2001 | 16.8% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 17.4% | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 18.8% | +8.4% |
| 2004 | 17.9% | -5.0% |
| 2005 | 17.8% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 20.5% | +15.2% |
| 2007 | 14.8% | -27.7% |
| 2008 | 18.9% | +27.7% |
| 2009 | 19.0% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 20.1% | +5.6% |
| 2011 | 19.9% | -1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10.7% | 9.3% | 12.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | 12.9% | 11.9% | 13.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 13.1% | 11.2% | 14.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.0% | 13.1% | 16.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.8% | 14.8% | 20.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.0% | 19.9% | 20.1% | 2 |
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 cereal cropland in Malawi?
- Cereal cropland in Malawi was 19.9% in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, Production Yearbook and data files.
- What is the highest cereal cropland recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 20.5% in 2006.
- What is the lowest cereal cropland recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.3% in 1962.
- How does Malawi rank for cereal cropland?
- Malawi ranks 2nd out of 51 countries with data for 2011.
- Is cereal cropland rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization, Production Yearbook and data files, published as part of Cereal cropland (% of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Land under cereal production refers to harvested area, although some countries report only sown or cultivated area. Cereals include wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains. Production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed, or silage and those used for grazing are excluded.