Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Malawi
Malawi: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 61.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Malawi, 1991–2023
Source: ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Malawi is 61.7%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Malawi peaked at 75.8% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 61.7%, in 2023.
Malawi ranks 12th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 75.5% | — |
| 1992 | 75.8% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 75.4% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 75.6% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 74.9% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 74.4% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 74.1% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 73.8% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 73.5% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 73.3% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 73.8% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 73.6% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 73.0% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 72.4% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 72.0% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 71.4% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 70.4% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 69.5% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 68.5% | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 67.7% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 67.1% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 66.8% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 66.1% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 65.3% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 64.9% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 64.5% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 63.9% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 63.2% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 62.4% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 62.5% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 62.4% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 61.9% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 61.7% | -0.3% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 61.7% is above the median for low income countries, which is 55.1%, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 61.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 43.0%, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 74.8% | 73.5% | 75.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 71.8% | 68.5% | 73.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.2% | 62.4% | 67.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.1% | 61.7% | 62.5% | 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 share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Malawi?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Malawi was 61.7% in 2023, according to ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 75.8% in 1992.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 61.7% in 2023.
- How does Malawi rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Malawi ranks 12th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The share of people employed in agriculture includes working-age people with a job in farming, forestry, fishing, and related activities, including those temporarily absent.