Cereal production in Malawi
Malawi: Cereal production was 3.80 million metric tons in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
3.80 million metric tons
Change on year
down 5.7%
World rank
70th
of 181 countries
All-time high
4.90 million metric tons
in 2021
All-time low
688,786 metric tons
in 1992
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Cereal production in Malawi, 1961–2023
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in metric tons.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cereal production in Malawi is 3.80 million metric tons, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 5.7% on the previous year and down 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal production in Malawi peaked at 4.90 million metric tons in 2021 and was at its lowest, 688,786 metric tons, in 1992.
That places Malawi 70th out of 181 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Cereal production in Malawi, year by year
| Year | metric tons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 864,554 metric tons | — |
| 1962 | 899,751 metric tons | +4.1% |
| 1963 | 780,781 metric tons | -13.2% |
| 1964 | 967,017 metric tons | +23.9% |
| 1965 | 950,943 metric tons | -1.7% |
| 1966 | 1.02 million metric tons | +7.4% |
| 1967 | 1.34 million metric tons | +31.4% |
| 1968 | 1.17 million metric tons | -13.0% |
| 1969 | 1.15 million metric tons | -2.0% |
| 1970 | 995,286 metric tons | -13.1% |
| 1971 | 1.36 million metric tons | +36.9% |
| 1972 | 1.45 million metric tons | +6.5% |
| 1973 | 1.45 million metric tons | -0.3% |
| 1974 | 1.44 million metric tons | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 1.18 million metric tons | -18.3% |
| 1976 | 1.29 million metric tons | +9.9% |
| 1977 | 1.53 million metric tons | +18.0% |
| 1978 | 1.54 million metric tons | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 1.46 million metric tons | -5.1% |
| 1980 | 1.25 million metric tons | -14.5% |
| 1981 | 1.31 million metric tons | +4.5% |
| 1982 | 1.48 million metric tons | +13.4% |
| 1983 | 1.40 million metric tons | -5.3% |
| 1984 | 1.46 million metric tons | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 1.42 million metric tons | -2.3% |
| 1986 | 1.36 million metric tons | -4.2% |
| 1987 | 1.26 million metric tons | -8.0% |
| 1988 | 1.49 million metric tons | +18.9% |
| 1989 | 1.59 million metric tons | +6.5% |
| 1990 | 1.41 million metric tons | -11.0% |
| 1991 | 1.68 million metric tons | +18.9% |
| 1992 | 688,786 metric tons | -59.0% |
| 1993 | 2.14 million metric tons | +210.3% |
| 1994 | 1.11 million metric tons | -48.2% |
| 1995 | 1.77 million metric tons | +60.1% |
| 1996 | 1.94 million metric tons | +9.6% |
| 1997 | 1.47 million metric tons | -24.1% |
| 1998 | 1.90 million metric tons | +29.1% |
| 1999 | 2.64 million metric tons | +38.4% |
| 2000 | 2.63 million metric tons | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 1.87 million metric tons | -29.1% |
| 2002 | 1.71 million metric tons | -8.3% |
| 2003 | 2.14 million metric tons | +25.3% |
| 2004 | 1.72 million metric tons | -19.8% |
| 2005 | 1.30 million metric tons | -24.2% |
| 2006 | 2.79 million metric tons | +113.9% |
| 2007 | 3.44 million metric tons | +23.5% |
| 2008 | 2.85 million metric tons | -17.3% |
| 2009 | 3.81 million metric tons | +33.8% |
| 2010 | 3.61 million metric tons | -5.2% |
| 2011 | 3.92 million metric tons | +8.7% |
| 2012 | 3.83 million metric tons | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 3.89 million metric tons | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 4.25 million metric tons | +9.1% |
| 2015 | 3.00 million metric tons | -29.3% |
| 2016 | 2.53 million metric tons | -15.7% |
| 2017 | 3.71 million metric tons | +46.6% |
| 2018 | 2.93 million metric tons | -21.2% |
| 2019 | 3.70 million metric tons | +26.6% |
| 2020 | 4.03 million metric tons | +8.8% |
| 2021 | 4.90 million metric tons | +21.6% |
| 2022 | 4.02 million metric tons | -17.9% |
| 2023 | 3.80 million metric tons | -5.7% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 3.80 million metric tons is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.71 million metric tons, 1.4× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 3.80 million metric tons is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.10 million metric tons, 1.8× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cereal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +210.3% | 688,786 metric tons | 2.14 million metric tons |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.02 million metric tons | 780,781 metric tons | 1.34 million metric tons | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.37 million metric tons | 995,286 metric tons | 1.54 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.40 million metric tons | 1.25 million metric tons | 1.59 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.68 million metric tons | 688,786 metric tons | 2.64 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.43 million metric tons | 1.30 million metric tons | 3.81 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.54 million metric tons | 2.53 million metric tons | 4.25 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.19 million metric tons | 3.80 million metric tons | 4.90 million metric tons | 4 |
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 production in Malawi?
- Cereal production in Malawi was 3.80 million metric tons in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest cereal production recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 4.90 million metric tons in 2021.
- What is the lowest cereal production recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 688,786 metric tons in 1992.
- How does Malawi rank for cereal production?
- Malawi ranks 70th out of 181 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cereal production rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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), published as part of Cereal production (metric tons). 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
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.