Food price inflation — Value in Malawi
Malawi: Food price inflation — Value was 20.01 % in 2026. ◆ Volatile
Food price inflation — Value in Malawi, 2001–2026
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for food price inflation — value in Malawi is 20.01 %, measured in 2026.
That represents a change of down 24.4% on the previous year and down 18.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food price inflation — value in Malawi peaked at 43.53 % in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.91 %, in 2010.
Malawi ranks 6th of 189 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Food price inflation — Value in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 11.53 % | — |
| 2002 | 8.23 % | -28.6% |
| 2003 | 3 % | -63.5% |
| 2004 | 14.09 % | +369.6% |
| 2005 | 17.22 % | +22.2% |
| 2006 | 10.59 % | -38.5% |
| 2007 | 6.69 % | -36.8% |
| 2008 | 8.07 % | +20.7% |
| 2009 | 6.6 % | -18.3% |
| 2010 | 2.91 % | -55.9% |
| 2011 | 5.22 % | +79.4% |
| 2012 | 34.63 % | +564.0% |
| 2013 | 18.08 % | -47.8% |
| 2014 | 22.11 % | +22.3% |
| 2015 | 29.16 % | +31.9% |
| 2016 | 24.44 % | -16.2% |
| 2017 | 4.32 % | -82.3% |
| 2018 | 12 % | +178.0% |
| 2019 | 19.29 % | +60.7% |
| 2020 | 10.49 % | -45.6% |
| 2021 | 13.55 % | +29.2% |
| 2022 | 31.34 % | +131.2% |
| 2023 | 43.53 % | +38.9% |
| 2024 | 35.65 % | -18.1% |
| 2025 | 26.47 % | -25.7% |
| 2026 | 20.01 % | -24.4% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 20.01 % is above the median for low income countries, which is 6.2 %, 3.2× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 20.01 % is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.92 %, 6.9× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Food price inflation — Value 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +564.0% | 5.22 % | 34.63 % |
| 2004 | +369.6% | 3 % | 14.09 % |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.56 % | 3 % | 17.22 % | 9 |
| 2010s | 17.21 % | 2.91 % | 34.63 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.86 % | 10.49 % | 43.53 % | 7 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 3 Cabo Verde 1.6 % compare
- 3 Myanmar 25.39 % compare
- 3 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 21.87 % compare
- 4 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 15.04 % compare
- 4 South Sudan 23.86 % compare
- 5 Democratic Republic of the Congo 13.7 % compare
- 5 Haiti 22.87 % compare
- 6 Republic of Moldova 6.44 % compare
- 7 Lao People's Democratic Republic 5.28 % compare
- 7 Lebanon 19.41 % compare
- 8 Libya 16.81 % compare
- 8 United Republic of Tanzania 3.47 % compare
- 9 Egypt 16.16 % compare
- 9 Viet Nam 2.91 % 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 food price inflation — value in Malawi?
- Food price inflation — value in Malawi was 20.01 % in 2026, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest food price inflation — value recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 43.53 % in 2023.
- What is the lowest food price inflation — value recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.91 % in 2010.
- How does Malawi rank for food price inflation — value?
- Malawi ranks 6th out of 189 countries with data for 2026.
- Is food price inflation — value rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.2%. 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 Food price inflation — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
The FAOSTAT monthly Food CPI and General CPI database was based on the ILO CPI data until December 2014. In 2014, IMF-ILO-FAO agreed to transfer global CPI data compilation from ILO to IMF. Upon agreement, CPIs for all items and its subcomponents originates from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the UN Statistics Division (UNSD) for countries not covered by the IMF. However, due to a limited time coverage from IMF and UNSD for a number of countries, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Central Bank of Western African States (BCEAO), Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), UNdata, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the national statistics offices websites databases are used for filling the missing data of Food and General CPI. The FAO CPI dataset for all items (or General CPI) and the Food CPI, consists of a complete and consistent set of time series from January 2000 onwards. Data gaps on monthly Food CPI and General CPI are filled using statistical estimation procedures to have full data coverage for all countries for Food CPI and for General CPI. These indices measure the price change between the current and reference periods of the average basket of goods and services purchased by households. The General CPI is typically used to measure and monitor inflation, set monetary policy targets, index social benefits such as pensions and unemployment benefits, and to escalate thresholds and credits in the income tax systems and wages in public and private wage contracts. The FAOSTAT monthly Food CPI inflation rates are annual year-over-year inflation or percentage change over corresponding month of the previous year. The regional and subregional Food and General CPI, and the aggregated Food and General CPI at the different income levels (High-income economies, Low-income economies, Lower-middle-income economies and Upper-middle-income economies) are calculated using two different statistical methods: 1- A weighted average of Food and General CPI values of countries and territories within each region using the weights of Household final consumption expenditure (including non-profit institutions serving households) in 2015 in USD at constant prices of 2015. Household final consumption expenditure is available at https://unstats.un.org/unsd/snaama 2- Median of Food and General CPI values of countries and territories within each region. The Food CPI inflation rates for regional, subregional, and income groups are calculated by first computing, at the country level, the monthly percentage change between two consecutive years. These country-level inflation rates are then aggregated to the group level using two alternative methods: the median and the weighted average, whose weights are based on household final consumption expenditure at 2015 constant prices.