Cereals, primary — Production in Malawi
Malawi: Cereals, primary — Production was 3.28 million t in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Cereals, primary — Production in Malawi, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in t.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 3.28 million t for cereals, primary — production in 2024.
That represents a change of down 13.9% on the previous year and down 22.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals, primary — production in Malawi peaked at 4.90 million t in 2021 and was at its lowest, 688,786 t, in 1992.
Malawi ranks 73rd of 178 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.
Cereals, primary — Production in Malawi, year by year
| Year | t | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 864,554 t | — |
| 1962 | 899,751 t | +4.1% |
| 1963 | 780,781 t | -13.2% |
| 1964 | 967,017 t | +23.9% |
| 1965 | 950,943 t | -1.7% |
| 1966 | 1.02 million t | +7.4% |
| 1967 | 1.34 million t | +31.4% |
| 1968 | 1.17 million t | -13.0% |
| 1969 | 1.15 million t | -2.0% |
| 1970 | 995,286 t | -13.1% |
| 1971 | 1.36 million t | +36.9% |
| 1972 | 1.45 million t | +6.5% |
| 1973 | 1.45 million t | -0.3% |
| 1974 | 1.44 million t | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 1.18 million t | -18.3% |
| 1976 | 1.29 million t | +9.9% |
| 1977 | 1.53 million t | +18.0% |
| 1978 | 1.54 million t | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 1.46 million t | -5.1% |
| 1980 | 1.25 million t | -14.5% |
| 1981 | 1.31 million t | +4.5% |
| 1982 | 1.48 million t | +13.4% |
| 1983 | 1.40 million t | -5.3% |
| 1984 | 1.46 million t | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 1.42 million t | -2.3% |
| 1986 | 1.36 million t | -4.2% |
| 1987 | 1.26 million t | -8.0% |
| 1988 | 1.49 million t | +18.9% |
| 1989 | 1.59 million t | +6.5% |
| 1990 | 1.41 million t | -11.0% |
| 1991 | 1.68 million t | +18.9% |
| 1992 | 688,786 t | -59.0% |
| 1993 | 2.14 million t | +210.3% |
| 1994 | 1.11 million t | -48.2% |
| 1995 | 1.77 million t | +60.1% |
| 1996 | 1.94 million t | +9.6% |
| 1997 | 1.47 million t | -24.1% |
| 1998 | 1.90 million t | +29.1% |
| 1999 | 2.64 million t | +38.4% |
| 2000 | 2.63 million t | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 1.87 million t | -29.1% |
| 2002 | 1.71 million t | -8.3% |
| 2003 | 2.14 million t | +25.3% |
| 2004 | 1.72 million t | -19.8% |
| 2005 | 1.30 million t | -24.2% |
| 2006 | 2.79 million t | +113.9% |
| 2007 | 3.44 million t | +23.5% |
| 2008 | 2.85 million t | -17.3% |
| 2009 | 3.81 million t | +33.8% |
| 2010 | 3.61 million t | -5.2% |
| 2011 | 3.92 million t | +8.7% |
| 2012 | 3.83 million t | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 3.89 million t | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 4.25 million t | +9.1% |
| 2015 | 3.00 million t | -29.3% |
| 2016 | 2.53 million t | -15.7% |
| 2017 | 3.71 million t | +46.6% |
| 2018 | 2.93 million t | -21.2% |
| 2019 | 3.70 million t | +26.6% |
| 2020 | 4.03 million t | +8.8% |
| 2021 | 4.90 million t | +21.6% |
| 2022 | 4.01 million t | -18.1% |
| 2023 | 3.81 million t | -5.0% |
| 2024 | 3.28 million t | -13.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 3.28 million t is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.08 million t, 1.6× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 3.28 million t is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.52 million t, 2.2× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cereals, primary — 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 t | 2.14 million t |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.02 million t | 780,781 t | 1.34 million t | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.37 million t | 995,286 t | 1.54 million t | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.40 million t | 1.25 million t | 1.59 million t | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.68 million t | 688,786 t | 2.64 million t | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.43 million t | 1.30 million t | 3.81 million t | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.54 million t | 2.53 million t | 4.25 million t | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.01 million t | 3.28 million t | 4.90 million t | 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 cereals, primary — production in Malawi?
- Cereals, primary — production in Malawi was 3.28 million t in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest cereals, primary — production recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 4.90 million t in 2021.
- What is the lowest cereals, primary — production recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 688,786 t in 1992.
- How does Malawi rank for cereals, primary — production?
- Malawi ranks 73rd out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cereals, primary — 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, published as part of Cereals, primary — Production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
Crop and livestock statistics are recorded for 278 products, covering the following categories: 1) CROPS PRIMARY: Cereals, Citrus Fruit, Fibre Crops, Fruit, Oil Crops, Oil Crops and Cakes in Oil Equivalent, Pulses, Roots and Tubers, Sugar Crops, Treenuts and Vegetables. Data are expressed in terms of area harvested, production quantity and yield. Cereals: Area and 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 or used for grazing are therefore excluded. 2) CROPS PROCESSED: Beer of barley; Cotton lint; Cottonseed; Margarine, short; Molasses; Oil, coconut (copra); Oil, cottonseed; Oil, groundnut; Oil, linseed; Oil, maize; Oil, olive, virgin; Oil, palm; Oil, palm kernel; Oil, rapeseed; Oil, safflower; Oil, sesame; Oil, soybean; Oil, sunflower; Palm kernels; Sugar Raw Centrifugal; Wine. 3) LIVE ANIMALS: Animals live n.e.s.; Asses; Beehives; Buffaloes; Camelids, other; Camels; Cattle; Chickens; Ducks; Geese and guinea fowls; Goats; Horses; Mules; Pigeons, other birds; Pigs; Rabbits and hares; Rodents, other; Sheep; Turkeys. 4) LIVESTOCK PRIMARY: Beeswax; Eggs (various types); Hides buffalo, fresh; Hides, cattle, fresh; Honey, natural; Meat (ass, bird nes, buffalo, camel, cattle, chicken, duck, game, goat, goose and guinea fowl, horse, mule, Meat nes, meat other camelids, Meat other rodents, pig, rabbit, sheep, turkey); Milk (buffalo, camel, cow, goat, sheep); Offals, nes; Silk-worm cocoons, reelable; Skins (goat, sheep); Snails, not sea; Wool, greasy. 5) LIVESTOCK PROCESSED: Butter (of milk from sheep, goat, buffalo, cow); Cheese (of milk from goat, buffalo, sheep, cow milk); Cheese of skimmed cow milk; Cream fresh; Ghee (cow and buffalo milk); Lard; Milk (dry buttermilk, skimmed condensed, skimmed cow, skimmed dried, skimmed evaporated, whole condensed, whole dried, whole evaporated); Silk raw; Tallow; Whey (condensed and dry); Yoghurt.