Land under cereal production in Malawi
Malawi: Land under cereal production was 2.04 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Land under cereal production in Malawi, 1961–2023
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for land under cereal production in Malawi is 2.04 million hectares, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and up 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land under cereal production in Malawi peaked at 2.11 million hectares in 2021 and was at its lowest, 876,100 hectares, in 1962.
Malawi ranks 56th of 181 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land under cereal production in Malawi, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 878,200 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 876,100 hectares | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 890,561 hectares | +1.7% |
| 1964 | 898,056 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 1.11 million hectares | +23.6% |
| 1966 | 1.13 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1967 | 972,100 hectares | -13.9% |
| 1968 | 1.17 million hectares | +20.8% |
| 1969 | 1.18 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1970 | 1.12 million hectares | -5.4% |
| 1971 | 1.20 million hectares | +7.3% |
| 1972 | 1.26 million hectares | +5.0% |
| 1973 | 1.31 million hectares | +3.8% |
| 1974 | 1.27 million hectares | -2.9% |
| 1975 | 1.16 million hectares | -8.8% |
| 1976 | 1.17 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 1.18 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 1.24 million hectares | +5.3% |
| 1979 | 1.25 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 1.05 million hectares | -15.4% |
| 1981 | 1.17 million hectares | +10.6% |
| 1982 | 1.27 million hectares | +8.8% |
| 1983 | 1.23 million hectares | -3.4% |
| 1984 | 1.23 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 1.22 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 1.27 million hectares | +4.1% |
| 1987 | 1.25 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 1.29 million hectares | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 1.35 million hectares | +4.4% |
| 1990 | 1.43 million hectares | +5.9% |
| 1991 | 1.47 million hectares | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 1.43 million hectares | -2.9% |
| 1993 | 1.44 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 1.24 million hectares | -13.9% |
| 1995 | 1.35 million hectares | +9.6% |
| 1996 | 1.40 million hectares | +3.2% |
| 1997 | 1.40 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 1.44 million hectares | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 1.51 million hectares | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 1.57 million hectares | +4.0% |
| 2001 | 1.59 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 1.64 million hectares | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 1.77 million hectares | +8.4% |
| 2004 | 1.68 million hectares | -5.0% |
| 2005 | 1.67 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 1.93 million hectares | +15.2% |
| 2007 | 1.39 million hectares | -27.7% |
| 2008 | 1.78 million hectares | +27.7% |
| 2009 | 1.79 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 1.89 million hectares | +5.6% |
| 2011 | 1.87 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 1.84 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 1.88 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 1.91 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 1.89 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 1.88 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 1.95 million hectares | +3.8% |
| 2018 | 1.91 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 1.98 million hectares | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 2.01 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 2.11 million hectares | +5.1% |
| 2022 | 2.07 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 2.04 million hectares | -1.2% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 2.04 million hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.04 million hectares, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 2.04 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.49 million hectares, 1.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Land under cereal production 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 | -27.7% | 1.93 million hectares | 1.39 million hectares |
| 2008 | +27.7% | 1.39 million hectares | 1.78 million hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.01 million hectares | 876,100 hectares | 1.18 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.22 million hectares | 1.12 million hectares | 1.31 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.23 million hectares | 1.05 million hectares | 1.35 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.41 million hectares | 1.24 million hectares | 1.51 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.68 million hectares | 1.39 million hectares | 1.93 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.90 million hectares | 1.84 million hectares | 1.98 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.06 million hectares | 2.01 million hectares | 2.11 million hectares | 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 in Malawi?
- Land under cereal production in Malawi was 2.04 million hectares in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest land under cereal production recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 2.11 million hectares in 2021.
- What is the lowest land under cereal production recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 876,100 hectares in 1962.
- How does Malawi rank for land under cereal production?
- Malawi ranks 56th out of 181 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land under cereal production rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Land under cereal production (hectares). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Land under cereal production refers to harvested area, although some countries report only sown or cultivated area. Cereals include wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains. Production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed, or silage and those used for grazing are excluded.