Cereal production in Malawi
Malawi: Cereal production was 3.28 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
3.28 million tonnes
Change on year
down 13.9%
World rank
78th
of 186 countries
All-time high
4.90 million tonnes
in 2021
All-time low
688,786 tonnes
in 1992
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Cereal 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
The most recent figure for cereal production in Malawi is 3.28 million tonnes, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 13.9% on the previous year and down 22.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal production in Malawi peaked at 4.90 million tonnes in 2021 and was at its lowest, 688,786 tonnes, in 1992.
Malawi ranks 78th of 186 countries on this measure, 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 | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 864,554 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 899,751 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1963 | 780,781 tonnes | -13.2% |
| 1964 | 967,017 tonnes | +23.9% |
| 1965 | 950,943 tonnes | -1.7% |
| 1966 | 1.02 million tonnes | +7.4% |
| 1967 | 1.34 million tonnes | +31.4% |
| 1968 | 1.17 million tonnes | -13.0% |
| 1969 | 1.15 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 1970 | 995,286 tonnes | -13.1% |
| 1971 | 1.36 million tonnes | +36.9% |
| 1972 | 1.45 million tonnes | +6.5% |
| 1973 | 1.45 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1974 | 1.44 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 1.18 million tonnes | -18.3% |
| 1976 | 1.29 million tonnes | +9.9% |
| 1977 | 1.53 million tonnes | +18.0% |
| 1978 | 1.54 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 1.46 million tonnes | -5.1% |
| 1980 | 1.25 million tonnes | -14.5% |
| 1981 | 1.31 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1982 | 1.48 million tonnes | +13.4% |
| 1983 | 1.40 million tonnes | -5.3% |
| 1984 | 1.46 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 1.42 million tonnes | -2.3% |
| 1986 | 1.36 million tonnes | -4.2% |
| 1987 | 1.26 million tonnes | -8.0% |
| 1988 | 1.49 million tonnes | +18.9% |
| 1989 | 1.59 million tonnes | +6.5% |
| 1990 | 1.41 million tonnes | -11.0% |
| 1991 | 1.68 million tonnes | +18.9% |
| 1992 | 688,786 tonnes | -59.0% |
| 1993 | 2.14 million tonnes | +210.3% |
| 1994 | 1.11 million tonnes | -48.2% |
| 1995 | 1.77 million tonnes | +60.1% |
| 1996 | 1.94 million tonnes | +9.6% |
| 1997 | 1.47 million tonnes | -24.1% |
| 1998 | 1.90 million tonnes | +29.1% |
| 1999 | 2.64 million tonnes | +38.4% |
| 2000 | 2.63 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 1.87 million tonnes | -29.1% |
| 2002 | 1.71 million tonnes | -8.3% |
| 2003 | 2.14 million tonnes | +25.3% |
| 2004 | 1.72 million tonnes | -19.8% |
| 2005 | 1.30 million tonnes | -24.2% |
| 2006 | 2.79 million tonnes | +113.9% |
| 2007 | 3.44 million tonnes | +23.5% |
| 2008 | 2.85 million tonnes | -17.3% |
| 2009 | 3.81 million tonnes | +33.8% |
| 2010 | 3.61 million tonnes | -5.2% |
| 2011 | 3.92 million tonnes | +8.7% |
| 2012 | 3.83 million tonnes | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 3.89 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 4.25 million tonnes | +9.1% |
| 2015 | 3.00 million tonnes | -29.3% |
| 2016 | 2.53 million tonnes | -15.7% |
| 2017 | 3.71 million tonnes | +46.6% |
| 2018 | 2.93 million tonnes | -21.2% |
| 2019 | 3.70 million tonnes | +26.6% |
| 2020 | 4.03 million tonnes | +8.8% |
| 2021 | 4.90 million tonnes | +21.6% |
| 2022 | 4.01 million tonnes | -18.1% |
| 2023 | 3.81 million tonnes | -5.0% |
| 2024 | 3.28 million tonnes | -13.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 3.28 million tonnes is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.71 million tonnes, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 3.28 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.65 million tonnes, 2.0× 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 tonnes | 2.14 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.02 million tonnes | 780,781 tonnes | 1.34 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.37 million tonnes | 995,286 tonnes | 1.54 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.40 million tonnes | 1.25 million tonnes | 1.59 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.68 million tonnes | 688,786 tonnes | 2.64 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.43 million tonnes | 1.30 million tonnes | 3.81 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.54 million tonnes | 2.53 million tonnes | 4.25 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.01 million tonnes | 3.28 million tonnes | 4.90 million 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 cereal production in Malawi?
- Cereal production in Malawi was 3.28 million 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 cereal production recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 4.90 million tonnes in 2021.
- What is the lowest cereal production recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 688,786 tonnes in 1992.
- How does Malawi rank for cereal production?
- Malawi ranks 78th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cereal production rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.8%. 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 Cereal 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).
About this data
Cereals include wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains.