Number of people employed in agriculture in Malawi
Malawi: Number of people employed in agriculture was 5.13 million people in 2025. ▲ Rising
Number of people employed in agriculture in Malawi, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 5.13 million people for number of people employed in agriculture in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 32.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people employed in agriculture in Malawi peaked at 5.13 million people in 2025 and was at its lowest, 3.00 million people, in 1991.
Malawi ranks 27th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Number of people employed in agriculture in Malawi, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 3.00 million people | — |
| 1992 | 3.11 million people | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 3.12 million people | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 3.06 million people | -1.9% |
| 1995 | 3.03 million people | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 3.07 million people | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 3.12 million people | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 3.17 million people | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 3.24 million people | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 3.33 million people | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 3.44 million people | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 3.52 million people | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 3.59 million people | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 3.67 million people | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 3.76 million people | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 3.79 million people | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 3.79 million people | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 3.80 million people | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 3.80 million people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 3.80 million people | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 3.82 million people | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 3.85 million people | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 3.85 million people | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 3.86 million people | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 3.88 million people | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 3.89 million people | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 3.90 million people | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 4.01 million people | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 4.12 million people | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 4.64 million people | +12.8% |
| 2021 | 4.46 million people | -3.9% |
| 2022 | 4.68 million people | +4.9% |
| 2023 | 4.84 million people | +3.4% |
| 2024 | 5.00 million people | +3.4% |
| 2025 | 5.13 million people | +2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.10 million people | 3.00 million people | 3.24 million people | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.65 million people | 3.33 million people | 3.80 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.90 million people | 3.80 million people | 4.12 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.79 million people | 4.46 million people | 5.13 million people | 6 |
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 number of people employed in agriculture in Malawi?
- Number of people employed in agriculture in Malawi was 5.13 million people in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people employed in agriculture recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 5.13 million people in 2025.
- What is the lowest number of people employed in agriculture recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.00 million people in 1991.
- How does Malawi rank for number of people employed in agriculture?
- Malawi ranks 27th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of people employed in agriculture rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people employed in agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of people working in agriculture, including hunting, forestry and fishing.