Forest area in Malawi
Malawi: Forest area was 3.20 million hectares in 2011. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Malawi, 1990–2011
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for forest area in Malawi is 3.20 million hectares, measured in 2011. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Malawi peaked at 3.90 million hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 3.20 million hectares, in 2011.
Malawi ranks 30th of 53 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Forest area in Malawi, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 3.90 million hectares | — |
| 1991 | 3.86 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 3.83 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 3.80 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 3.76 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 3.73 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 3.70 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 3.67 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 3.63 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 3.60 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 3.57 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 3.53 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 3.50 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 3.47 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 3.44 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 3.40 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 3.37 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 3.34 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 3.30 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 3.27 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 3.24 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 3.20 million hectares | -1.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 3.20 million hectares is below the median for low income countries, which is 4.94 million hectares, 65% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 3.20 million hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.59 million hectares, 57% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.75 million hectares | 3.60 million hectares | 3.90 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.42 million hectares | 3.27 million hectares | 3.57 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.22 million hectares | 3.20 million hectares | 3.24 million hectares | 2 |
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 forest area in Malawi?
- Forest area in Malawi was 3.20 million hectares in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 3.90 million hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.20 million hectares in 2011.
- How does Malawi rank for forest area?
- Malawi ranks 30th out of 53 countries with data for 2011.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site, published as part of Forest area (hectares). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Forest area is land under natural or planted stands of trees of at least 5 meters in situ, whether productive or not, and excludes tree stands in agricultural production systems (for example, in fruit plantations and agroforestry systems) and trees in urban parks and gardens.