Fertilizer use per capita in Malawi
Malawi: Fertilizer use per capita was 1.42 Kilograms per capita in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
1.42 Kilograms per capita
Change on year
up 144.8%
World rank
85th
of 205 countries
All-time high
1.43 Kilograms per capita
in 2021
All-time low
0.19 Kilograms per capita
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Fertilizer use per capita in Malawi, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in Kilograms per capita.
Analysis
In 2023, fertilizer use per capita in Malawi stood at 1.42 Kilograms per capita.
That represents a change of up 144.8% on the previous year and up 18.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertilizer use per capita in Malawi peaked at 1.43 Kilograms per capita in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.19 Kilograms per capita, in 1961.
Malawi ranks 85th of 205 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.
Fertilizer use per capita in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Kilograms per capita | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.19 Kilograms per capita | — |
| 1962 | 0.19 Kilograms per capita | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.26 Kilograms per capita | +36.8% |
| 1964 | 0.25 Kilograms per capita | -3.8% |
| 1965 | 0.24 Kilograms per capita | -4.0% |
| 1966 | 0.24 Kilograms per capita | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.23 Kilograms per capita | -4.2% |
| 1968 | 0.23 Kilograms per capita | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.24 Kilograms per capita | +4.3% |
| 1970 | 0.22 Kilograms per capita | -8.3% |
| 1971 | 0.4 Kilograms per capita | +81.8% |
| 1972 | 0.35 Kilograms per capita | -12.5% |
| 1973 | 0.27 Kilograms per capita | -22.9% |
| 1974 | 0.38 Kilograms per capita | +40.7% |
| 1975 | 0.28 Kilograms per capita | -26.3% |
| 1976 | 0.88 Kilograms per capita | +214.3% |
| 1977 | 0.95 Kilograms per capita | +8.0% |
| 1978 | 0.69 Kilograms per capita | -27.4% |
| 1979 | 0.97 Kilograms per capita | +40.6% |
| 1980 | 0.68 Kilograms per capita | -29.9% |
| 1981 | 0.55 Kilograms per capita | -19.1% |
| 1982 | 0.43 Kilograms per capita | -21.8% |
| 1983 | 1.04 Kilograms per capita | +141.9% |
| 1984 | 0.71 Kilograms per capita | -31.7% |
| 1985 | 0.67 Kilograms per capita | -5.6% |
| 1986 | 0.83 Kilograms per capita | +23.9% |
| 1987 | 0.94 Kilograms per capita | +13.3% |
| 1988 | 0.77 Kilograms per capita | -18.1% |
| 1989 | 0.71 Kilograms per capita | -7.8% |
| 1990 | 0.52 Kilograms per capita | -26.8% |
| 1991 | 0.81 Kilograms per capita | +55.8% |
| 1992 | 0.79 Kilograms per capita | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 0.49 Kilograms per capita | -38.0% |
| 1994 | 0.49 Kilograms per capita | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.49 Kilograms per capita | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.58 Kilograms per capita | +18.4% |
| 1997 | 0.28 Kilograms per capita | -51.7% |
| 1998 | 0.32 Kilograms per capita | +14.3% |
| 1999 | 0.32 Kilograms per capita | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.33 Kilograms per capita | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 0.46 Kilograms per capita | +39.4% |
| 2002 | 0.55 Kilograms per capita | +19.6% |
| 2003 | 0.95 Kilograms per capita | +72.7% |
| 2004 | 0.63 Kilograms per capita | -33.7% |
| 2005 | 0.91 Kilograms per capita | +44.4% |
| 2006 | 1.1 Kilograms per capita | +20.9% |
| 2007 | 1.14 Kilograms per capita | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 0.69 Kilograms per capita | -39.5% |
| 2009 | 1.06 Kilograms per capita | +53.6% |
| 2010 | 1.13 Kilograms per capita | +6.6% |
| 2011 | 0.48 Kilograms per capita | -57.5% |
| 2012 | 0.86 Kilograms per capita | +79.2% |
| 2013 | 1.2 Kilograms per capita | +39.5% |
| 2014 | 0.79 Kilograms per capita | -34.2% |
| 2015 | 1.02 Kilograms per capita | +29.1% |
| 2016 | 0.6 Kilograms per capita | -41.2% |
| 2017 | 0.97 Kilograms per capita | +61.7% |
| 2018 | 0.84 Kilograms per capita | -13.4% |
| 2019 | 0.93 Kilograms per capita | +10.7% |
| 2020 | 1.42 Kilograms per capita | +52.7% |
| 2021 | 1.43 Kilograms per capita | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 0.58 Kilograms per capita | -59.4% |
| 2023 | 1.42 Kilograms per capita | +144.8% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 1.42 Kilograms per capita is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.1 Kilograms per capita, 14.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 1.42 Kilograms per capita is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.275 Kilograms per capita, 5.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fertilizer use per capita 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | +214.3% | 0.28 Kilograms per capita | 0.88 Kilograms per capita |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.23 Kilograms per capita | 0.19 Kilograms per capita | 0.26 Kilograms per capita | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.539 Kilograms per capita | 0.22 Kilograms per capita | 0.97 Kilograms per capita | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.733 Kilograms per capita | 0.43 Kilograms per capita | 1.04 Kilograms per capita | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.509 Kilograms per capita | 0.28 Kilograms per capita | 0.81 Kilograms per capita | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.782 Kilograms per capita | 0.33 Kilograms per capita | 1.14 Kilograms per capita | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.882 Kilograms per capita | 0.48 Kilograms per capita | 1.2 Kilograms per capita | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.21 Kilograms per capita | 0.58 Kilograms per capita | 1.43 Kilograms per capita | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 82 Turkey 1.67 Kilograms per capita compare
- 83 Burkina Faso 1.66 Kilograms per capita compare
- 84 Myanmar 1.53 Kilograms per capita compare
- 86 Benin 1.41 Kilograms per capita compare
- 87 North Macedonia 1.39 Kilograms per capita compare
- 88 Botswana 1.31 Kilograms per capita compare
- 88 India 1.31 Kilograms per capita compare
- 88 Morocco 1.31 Kilograms per capita 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 fertilizer use per capita in Malawi?
- Fertilizer use per capita in Malawi was 1.42 Kilograms per capita in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertilizer use per capita recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 1.43 Kilograms per capita in 2021.
- What is the lowest fertilizer use per capita recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.19 Kilograms per capita in 1961.
- How does Malawi rank for fertilizer use per capita?
- Malawi ranks 85th out of 205 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertilizer use per capita rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.3%. 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) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertilizer use per capita. 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
Fertilizer use is the sum of synthetic inputs of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous, plus organic nitrogen inputs. This is given in kilograms per person per year.