Land under cereal production (hectares), per capita in Malawi
Malawi: Land under cereal production (hectares), per capita was 0.0968 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Land under cereal production (hectares), per capita in Malawi, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in hectares per person.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 0.0968 hectares per person for land under cereal production (hectares), per capita in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.7% on the previous year and down 16.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land under cereal production (hectares), per capita in Malawi peaked at 0.271 hectares per person in 1965 and was at its lowest, 0.0968 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places Malawi 55th out of 181 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Land under cereal production (hectares), per capita in Malawi, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.2364 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.2302 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1963 | 0.2283 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1964 | 0.2247 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1965 | 0.271 hectares per person | +20.6% |
| 1966 | 0.2688 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 0.2259 hectares per person | -16.0% |
| 1968 | 0.2662 hectares per person | +17.8% |
| 1969 | 0.2619 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1970 | 0.2418 hectares per person | -7.7% |
| 1971 | 0.253 hectares per person | +4.7% |
| 1972 | 0.259 hectares per person | +2.3% |
| 1973 | 0.2619 hectares per person | +1.1% |
| 1974 | 0.2475 hectares per person | -5.5% |
| 1975 | 0.2194 hectares per person | -11.3% |
| 1976 | 0.2141 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1977 | 0.2093 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 1978 | 0.2129 hectares per person | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 0.2067 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1980 | 0.1682 hectares per person | -18.6% |
| 1981 | 0.1789 hectares per person | +6.3% |
| 1982 | 0.1871 hectares per person | +4.6% |
| 1983 | 0.1738 hectares per person | -7.1% |
| 1984 | 0.1683 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1985 | 0.1597 hectares per person | -5.1% |
| 1986 | 0.1603 hectares per person | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 0.1511 hectares per person | -5.7% |
| 1988 | 0.1474 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1989 | 0.1467 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 0.1493 hectares per person | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 0.1496 hectares per person | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 0.1411 hectares per person | -5.6% |
| 1993 | 0.1396 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 0.1216 hectares per person | -12.9% |
| 1995 | 0.1334 hectares per person | +9.8% |
| 1996 | 0.135 hectares per person | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 0.1324 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 0.1334 hectares per person | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 0.1367 hectares per person | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 0.1388 hectares per person | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 0.1369 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 0.1377 hectares per person | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 0.1455 hectares per person | +5.7% |
| 2004 | 0.1347 hectares per person | -7.5% |
| 2005 | 0.1304 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 2006 | 0.1461 hectares per person | +12.0% |
| 2007 | 0.1027 hectares per person | -29.7% |
| 2008 | 0.1274 hectares per person | +24.0% |
| 2009 | 0.1245 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 0.1277 hectares per person | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 0.1228 hectares per person | -3.9% |
| 2012 | 0.1169 hectares per person | -4.8% |
| 2013 | 0.1164 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 0.1152 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 0.1105 hectares per person | -4.1% |
| 2016 | 0.107 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 0.1081 hectares per person | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 0.1031 hectares per person | -4.6% |
| 2019 | 0.1039 hectares per person | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 0.1029 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 0.1053 hectares per person | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 0.1006 hectares per person | -4.5% |
| 2023 | 0.0968 hectares per person | -3.7% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 0.0968 hectares per person is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.0914 hectares per person, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 0.0968 hectares per person is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.075 hectares per person, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Land under cereal production (hectares), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | -29.7% | 0.1461 hectares per person | 0.1027 hectares per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.2459 hectares per person | 0.2247 hectares per person | 0.271 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.2326 hectares per person | 0.2067 hectares per person | 0.2619 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1641 hectares per person | 0.1467 hectares per person | 0.1871 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1372 hectares per person | 0.1216 hectares per person | 0.1496 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1325 hectares per person | 0.1027 hectares per person | 0.1461 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1132 hectares per person | 0.1031 hectares per person | 0.1277 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1014 hectares per person | 0.0968 hectares per person | 0.1053 hectares per person | 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 land under cereal production (hectares), per capita in Malawi?
- Land under cereal production (hectares), per capita in Malawi was 0.0968 hectares per person in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest land under cereal production (hectares), per capita recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 0.271 hectares per person in 1965.
- What is the lowest land under cereal production (hectares), per capita recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0968 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does Malawi rank for land under cereal production (hectares), per capita?
- Malawi ranks 55th out of 181 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land under cereal production (hectares), per capita rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Land under cereal production (hectares), per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Land under cereal production (hectares) divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Land under cereal production (hectares) ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Land under cereal production FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Land under cereal production (hectares) divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.