Maize production in Malawi
Malawi: Maize production was 3.70 million metric tons in 2011. ▲ Rising
Maize production in Malawi, 1961–2011
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in metric tons.
Analysis
The most recent figure for maize production in Malawi is 3.70 million metric tons, measured in 2011. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
That represents a change of up 8.2% on the previous year and up 115.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, maize production in Malawi peaked at 3.70 million metric tons in 2011 and was at its lowest, 657,000 metric tons, in 1992.
That places Malawi 6th out of 49 countries with data for 2011, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Maize production in Malawi, year by year
| Year | metric tons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 815,000 metric tons | — |
| 1962 | 850,000 metric tons | +4.3% |
| 1963 | 726,000 metric tons | -14.6% |
| 1964 | 907,000 metric tons | +24.9% |
| 1965 | 890,000 metric tons | -1.9% |
| 1966 | 950,000 metric tons | +6.7% |
| 1967 | 1.27 million metric tons | +33.7% |
| 1968 | 1.09 million metric tons | -14.3% |
| 1969 | 1.06 million metric tons | -2.9% |
| 1970 | 900,000 metric tons | -14.9% |
| 1971 | 1.24 million metric tons | +37.7% |
| 1972 | 1.31 million metric tons | +5.7% |
| 1973 | 1.28 million metric tons | -2.1% |
| 1974 | 1.28 million metric tons | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 1.00 million metric tons | -21.9% |
| 1976 | 1.10 million metric tons | +9.8% |
| 1977 | 1.32 million metric tons | +20.3% |
| 1978 | 1.42 million metric tons | +7.7% |
| 1979 | 1.39 million metric tons | -2.1% |
| 1980 | 1.19 million metric tons | -14.9% |
| 1981 | 1.25 million metric tons | +5.0% |
| 1982 | 1.42 million metric tons | +13.7% |
| 1983 | 1.37 million metric tons | -3.2% |
| 1984 | 1.40 million metric tons | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 1.36 million metric tons | -3.1% |
| 1986 | 1.29 million metric tons | -4.5% |
| 1987 | 1.20 million metric tons | -7.2% |
| 1988 | 1.42 million metric tons | +18.5% |
| 1989 | 1.51 million metric tons | +6.0% |
| 1990 | 1.34 million metric tons | -11.0% |
| 1991 | 1.59 million metric tons | +18.4% |
| 1992 | 657,000 metric tons | -58.7% |
| 1993 | 2.03 million metric tons | +209.6% |
| 1994 | 1.04 million metric tons | -48.9% |
| 1995 | 1.66 million metric tons | +59.8% |
| 1996 | 1.79 million metric tons | +7.9% |
| 1997 | 1.35 million metric tons | -24.6% |
| 1998 | 1.77 million metric tons | +31.1% |
| 1999 | 2.48 million metric tons | +39.9% |
| 2000 | 2.50 million metric tons | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 1.71 million metric tons | -31.5% |
| 2002 | 1.56 million metric tons | -9.1% |
| 2003 | 1.98 million metric tons | +27.4% |
| 2004 | 1.61 million metric tons | -18.9% |
| 2005 | 1.23 million metric tons | -23.8% |
| 2006 | 2.61 million metric tons | +113.1% |
| 2007 | 3.23 million metric tons | +23.5% |
| 2008 | 2.63 million metric tons | -18.3% |
| 2009 | 3.58 million metric tons | +36.0% |
| 2010 | 3.42 million metric tons | -4.6% |
| 2011 | 3.70 million metric tons | +8.2% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 3.70 million metric tons is above the median for low income countries, which is 195,000 metric tons, 19.0× the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 3.70 million metric tons is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 326,794 metric tons, 11.3× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Maize 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +209.6% | 657,000 metric tons | 2.03 million metric tons |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 950,522 metric tons | 726,000 metric tons | 1.27 million metric tons | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.22 million metric tons | 900,000 metric tons | 1.42 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.34 million metric tons | 1.19 million metric tons | 1.51 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.57 million metric tons | 657,000 metric tons | 2.48 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.26 million metric tons | 1.23 million metric tons | 3.58 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.56 million metric tons | 3.42 million metric tons | 3.70 million metric tons | 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 maize production in Malawi?
- Maize production in Malawi was 3.70 million metric tons in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.
- What is the highest maize production recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 3.70 million metric tons in 2011.
- What is the lowest maize production recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 657,000 metric tons in 1992.
- How does Malawi rank for maize production?
- Malawi ranks 6th out of 49 countries with data for 2011.
- Is maize production rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 115.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site, published as part of Maize production (metric tons). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Production data on maize relate to crop harvested for dry grain only. Crop harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed, or silage and those used for grazing are excluded.