Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Malawi
Malawi: Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? was 171,000 tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Malawi, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Malawi stood at 171,000 tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 327.5% on the previous year and down 33.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Malawi peaked at 581,000 tonnes in 1993 and was at its lowest, 6,000 tonnes, in 1961.
Malawi ranks 157th of 192 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Malawi, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 6,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 7,000 tonnes | +16.7% |
| 1963 | 8,000 tonnes | +14.3% |
| 1964 | 10,000 tonnes | +25.0% |
| 1965 | 20,000 tonnes | +100.0% |
| 1966 | 15,000 tonnes | -25.0% |
| 1967 | 14,000 tonnes | -6.7% |
| 1968 | 14,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 17,000 tonnes | +21.4% |
| 1970 | 116,000 tonnes | +582.4% |
| 1971 | 29,000 tonnes | -75.0% |
| 1972 | 28,000 tonnes | -3.4% |
| 1973 | 28,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 18,000 tonnes | -35.7% |
| 1975 | 43,000 tonnes | +138.9% |
| 1976 | 44,000 tonnes | +2.3% |
| 1977 | 32,000 tonnes | -27.3% |
| 1978 | 16,000 tonnes | -50.0% |
| 1979 | 24,000 tonnes | +50.0% |
| 1980 | 40,000 tonnes | +66.7% |
| 1981 | 83,000 tonnes | +107.5% |
| 1982 | 29,000 tonnes | -65.1% |
| 1983 | 23,000 tonnes | -20.7% |
| 1984 | 22,000 tonnes | -4.3% |
| 1985 | 33,000 tonnes | +50.0% |
| 1986 | 19,000 tonnes | -42.4% |
| 1987 | 65,000 tonnes | +242.1% |
| 1988 | 135,000 tonnes | +107.7% |
| 1989 | 201,000 tonnes | +48.9% |
| 1990 | 162,000 tonnes | -19.4% |
| 1991 | 218,000 tonnes | +34.6% |
| 1992 | 461,000 tonnes | +111.5% |
| 1993 | 581,000 tonnes | +26.0% |
| 1994 | 515,000 tonnes | -11.4% |
| 1995 | 307,000 tonnes | -40.4% |
| 1996 | 177,000 tonnes | -42.3% |
| 1997 | 173,000 tonnes | -2.3% |
| 1998 | 404,000 tonnes | +133.5% |
| 1999 | 124,000 tonnes | -69.3% |
| 2000 | 75,000 tonnes | -39.5% |
| 2001 | 94,000 tonnes | +25.3% |
| 2002 | 521,000 tonnes | +454.3% |
| 2003 | 147,000 tonnes | -71.8% |
| 2004 | 133,000 tonnes | -9.5% |
| 2005 | 202,000 tonnes | +51.9% |
| 2006 | 192,000 tonnes | -5.0% |
| 2007 | 150,000 tonnes | -21.9% |
| 2008 | 269,000 tonnes | +79.3% |
| 2009 | 225,000 tonnes | -16.4% |
| 2010 | 204,000 tonnes | -9.3% |
| 2011 | 190,000 tonnes | -6.9% |
| 2012 | 158,000 tonnes | -16.8% |
| 2013 | 258,000 tonnes | +63.3% |
| 2014 | 205,000 tonnes | -20.5% |
| 2015 | 337,000 tonnes | +64.4% |
| 2016 | 496,000 tonnes | +47.2% |
| 2017 | 240,000 tonnes | -51.6% |
| 2018 | 161,000 tonnes | -32.9% |
| 2019 | 148,000 tonnes | -8.1% |
| 2020 | 181,000 tonnes | +22.3% |
| 2021 | 135,000 tonnes | -25.4% |
| 2022 | 40,000 tonnes | -70.4% |
| 2023 | 171,000 tonnes | +327.5% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 171,000 tonnes is below the median for low income countries, which is 1.25 million tonnes, 14% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 171,000 tonnes is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.01 million tonnes, 17% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | +582.4% | 17,000 tonnes | 116,000 tonnes |
| 2002 | +454.3% | 94,000 tonnes | 521,000 tonnes |
| 2023 | +327.5% | 40,000 tonnes | 171,000 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 12,333 tonnes | 6,000 tonnes | 20,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 37,800 tonnes | 16,000 tonnes | 116,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 65,000 tonnes | 19,000 tonnes | 201,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 312,200 tonnes | 124,000 tonnes | 581,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 200,800 tonnes | 75,000 tonnes | 521,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 239,700 tonnes | 148,000 tonnes | 496,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 131,750 tonnes | 40,000 tonnes | 181,000 tonnes | 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 cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Malawi?
- Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Malawi was 171,000 tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 581,000 tonnes in 1993.
- What is the lowest cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 6,000 tonnes in 1961.
- How does Malawi rank for cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters??
- Malawi ranks 157th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.7%. 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) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters?. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Imports and exports are measured as the net sum of all cereal crop varieties. Countries which lie above the grey line are net importers of cereals; those below the line are net exporters.