Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in Malawi
Malawi: Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita was 31.5% in 2010. ▼ Falling
Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in Malawi, 1960–2010
Source: Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % GDP.
Analysis
In 2010, agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in Malawi stood at 31.5%.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 16.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in Malawi peaked at 52.6% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 21.2%, in 1992.
That places Malawi 3rd out of 43 countries with data for 2010, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.
Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 52.4% | — |
| 1961 | 52.6% | +0.4% |
| 1962 | 52.4% | -0.4% |
| 1963 | 51.5% | -1.7% |
| 1964 | 40.0% | -22.3% |
| 1965 | 39.2% | -2.0% |
| 1966 | 38.1% | -2.8% |
| 1967 | 37.7% | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 35.5% | -5.8% |
| 1969 | 34.6% | -2.5% |
| 1970 | 34.2% | -1.2% |
| 1971 | 33.6% | -1.8% |
| 1972 | 33.6% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 31.6% | -6.0% |
| 1974 | 31.0% | -1.9% |
| 1975 | 29.0% | -6.5% |
| 1976 | 30.3% | +4.5% |
| 1977 | 33.1% | +9.2% |
| 1978 | 29.7% | -10.3% |
| 1979 | 31.9% | +7.4% |
| 1980 | 29.4% | -7.8% |
| 1981 | 26.6% | -9.5% |
| 1982 | 26.8% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 29.6% | +10.4% |
| 1984 | 31.1% | +5.1% |
| 1985 | 27.7% | -10.9% |
| 1986 | 27.3% | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 23.0% | -15.8% |
| 1988 | 24.7% | +7.4% |
| 1989 | 25.7% | +4.0% |
| 1990 | 24.1% | -6.2% |
| 1991 | 25.1% | +4.1% |
| 1992 | 21.2% | -15.5% |
| 1993 | 27.8% | +31.1% |
| 1994 | 24.8% | -10.8% |
| 1995 | 29.2% | +17.7% |
| 1996 | 34.0% | +16.4% |
| 1997 | 31.1% | -8.5% |
| 1998 | 33.9% | +9.0% |
| 1999 | 35.9% | +5.9% |
| 2000 | 37.6% | +4.7% |
| 2001 | 37.0% | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 36.7% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 35.3% | -3.8% |
| 2004 | 34.7% | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 32.7% | -5.8% |
| 2006 | 31.4% | -4.0% |
| 2007 | 31.4% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 31.4% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 31.7% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 31.5% | -0.6% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 31.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.3%, 1.2× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 43.4% | 34.6% | 52.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 31.8% | 29.0% | 34.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 27.2% | 23.0% | 31.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 28.7% | 21.2% | 35.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 34.0% | 31.4% | 37.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.5% | 31.5% | 31.5% | 1 |
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 agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in Malawi?
- Agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in Malawi was 31.5% in 2010, according to Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 52.6% in 1961.
- What is the lowest agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.2% in 1992.
- How does Malawi rank for agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- Malawi ranks 3rd out of 43 countries with data for 2010.
- Is agriculture as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Agriculture includes the cultivation of crops and livestock production, as well as forestry, hunting, and fishing. GDP per capita is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.