Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Malawi
Malawi: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 65.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Malawi, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Malawi recorded 65.0% for employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in 2025.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Malawi peaked at 73.9% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 63.9%, in 2019.
That places Malawi 8th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 72.9% | — |
| 1992 | 73.9% | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 73.3% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 73.1% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 72.1% | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 71.6% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 71.3% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 71.1% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 71.1% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 71.1% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 71.8% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 71.8% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 71.4% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 70.9% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 70.7% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 70.2% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 69.3% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 68.6% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 67.7% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 67.1% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 66.6% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 66.6% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 66.1% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 65.6% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 65.3% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 65.2% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 64.8% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 64.4% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 63.9% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 64.9% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 65.3% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 65.4% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 65.3% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 65.2% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 65.0% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 72.3% | 71.1% | 73.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 70.4% | 67.7% | 71.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.6% | 63.9% | 67.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.2% | 64.9% | 65.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 5 Madagascar 69.2% compare
- 6 Lao People's Democratic Republic 68.6% compare
- 7 Central African Republic 66.1% compare
- 9 Uganda 64.9% compare
- 10 Tanzania, United Republic of 64.6% compare
- 11 South Sudan 63.8% compare
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 employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Malawi?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Malawi was 65.0% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 73.9% in 1992.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.9% in 2019.
- How does Malawi rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Malawi ranks 8th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The agriculture sector consists of activities in agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing, in accordance with division 1 (ISIC 2) or categories A-B (ISIC 3) or category A (ISIC 4).