Cereal yield in Malawi
Malawi: Cereal yield was 1,857 kg per hectare in 2023. ▲ Rising
Cereal yield in Malawi, 1961–2023
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in kg per hectare.
Analysis
In 2023, cereal yield in Malawi stood at 1,857 kg per hectare.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.5% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal yield in Malawi peaked at 2,467 kg per hectare in 2007 and was at its lowest, 481.6 kg per hectare, in 1992.
Malawi ranks 128th of 181 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Cereal yield in Malawi, year by year
| Year | kg per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 984.5 kg per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 1,027 kg per hectare | +4.3% |
| 1963 | 876.7 kg per hectare | -14.6% |
| 1964 | 1,077 kg per hectare | +22.8% |
| 1965 | 856.5 kg per hectare | -20.5% |
| 1966 | 905.2 kg per hectare | +5.7% |
| 1967 | 1,381 kg per hectare | +52.6% |
| 1968 | 995.3 kg per hectare | -27.9% |
| 1969 | 967.3 kg per hectare | -2.8% |
| 1970 | 888.4 kg per hectare | -8.2% |
| 1971 | 1,133 kg per hectare | +27.6% |
| 1972 | 1,150 kg per hectare | +1.4% |
| 1973 | 1,104 kg per hectare | -4.0% |
| 1974 | 1,133 kg per hectare | +2.6% |
| 1975 | 1,015 kg per hectare | -10.4% |
| 1976 | 1,110 kg per hectare | +9.4% |
| 1977 | 1,299 kg per hectare | +17.0% |
| 1978 | 1,247 kg per hectare | -4.0% |
| 1979 | 1,175 kg per hectare | -5.8% |
| 1980 | 1,187 kg per hectare | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 1,122 kg per hectare | -5.5% |
| 1982 | 1,169 kg per hectare | +4.2% |
| 1983 | 1,146 kg per hectare | -2.0% |
| 1984 | 1,181 kg per hectare | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 1,169 kg per hectare | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 1,076 kg per hectare | -7.9% |
| 1987 | 1,002 kg per hectare | -6.9% |
| 1988 | 1,156 kg per hectare | +15.4% |
| 1989 | 1,179 kg per hectare | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 991.5 kg per hectare | -15.9% |
| 1991 | 1,141 kg per hectare | +15.1% |
| 1992 | 481.6 kg per hectare | -57.8% |
| 1993 | 1,489 kg per hectare | +209.1% |
| 1994 | 896.4 kg per hectare | -39.8% |
| 1995 | 1,309 kg per hectare | +46.1% |
| 1996 | 1,391 kg per hectare | +6.2% |
| 1997 | 1,054 kg per hectare | -24.2% |
| 1998 | 1,322 kg per hectare | +25.4% |
| 1999 | 1,745 kg per hectare | +32.0% |
| 2000 | 1,676 kg per hectare | -4.0% |
| 2001 | 1,176 kg per hectare | -29.8% |
| 2002 | 1,046 kg per hectare | -11.0% |
| 2003 | 1,209 kg per hectare | +15.6% |
| 2004 | 1,021 kg per hectare | -15.6% |
| 2005 | 777.8 kg per hectare | -23.8% |
| 2006 | 1,445 kg per hectare | +85.7% |
| 2007 | 2,467 kg per hectare | +70.8% |
| 2008 | 1,599 kg per hectare | -35.2% |
| 2009 | 2,124 kg per hectare | +32.9% |
| 2010 | 1,907 kg per hectare | -10.2% |
| 2011 | 2,094 kg per hectare | +9.8% |
| 2012 | 2,087 kg per hectare | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 2,069 kg per hectare | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 2,218 kg per hectare | +7.2% |
| 2015 | 1,591 kg per hectare | -28.3% |
| 2016 | 1,347 kg per hectare | -15.3% |
| 2017 | 1,903 kg per hectare | +41.2% |
| 2018 | 1,531 kg per hectare | -19.5% |
| 2019 | 1,874 kg per hectare | +22.4% |
| 2020 | 2,004 kg per hectare | +7.0% |
| 2021 | 2,319 kg per hectare | +15.7% |
| 2022 | 1,944 kg per hectare | -16.2% |
| 2023 | 1,857 kg per hectare | -4.5% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 1,857 kg per hectare is above the median for low income countries, which is 1,163 kg per hectare, 1.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 1,857 kg per hectare is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,342 kg per hectare, 1.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cereal yield 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 | +209.1% | 481.6 kg per hectare | 1,489 kg per hectare |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1,008 kg per hectare | 856.5 kg per hectare | 1,381 kg per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 1,125 kg per hectare | 888.4 kg per hectare | 1,299 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,139 kg per hectare | 1,002 kg per hectare | 1,187 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,182 kg per hectare | 481.6 kg per hectare | 1,745 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,454 kg per hectare | 777.8 kg per hectare | 2,467 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,862 kg per hectare | 1,347 kg per hectare | 2,218 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,031 kg per hectare | 1,857 kg per hectare | 2,319 kg per hectare | 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 yield in Malawi?
- Cereal yield in Malawi was 1,857 kg per hectare in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest cereal yield recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 2,467 kg per hectare in 2007.
- What is the lowest cereal yield recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 481.6 kg per hectare in 1992.
- How does Malawi rank for cereal yield?
- Malawi ranks 128th out of 181 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cereal yield rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 yield (kg per hectare). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Cereal yield, measured as kilograms per hectare of harvested land, includes 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. The FAO allocates production data to the calendar year in which the bulk of the harvest took place. Most of a crop harvested near the end of a year will be used in the following year.