Phosphate fertilizer use per hectare of cropland in Malawi
Malawi: Phosphate fertilizer use per hectare of cropland was 10.81 kilograms per hectare in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
10.81 kilograms per hectare
Change on year
up 132.0%
World rank
99th
of 201 countries
All-time high
10.81 kilograms per hectare
in 2023
All-time low
0.31 kilograms per hectare
in 1975
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Phosphate fertilizer use per hectare of cropland in Malawi, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilograms per hectare.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 10.81 kilograms per hectare for phosphate fertilizer use per hectare of cropland in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of up 132.0% on the previous year and up 56.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, phosphate fertilizer use per hectare of cropland in Malawi peaked at 10.81 kilograms per hectare in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.31 kilograms per hectare, in 1975.
That places Malawi 99th out of 201 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Phosphate fertilizer use per hectare of cropland in Malawi, year by year
| Year | kilograms per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.86 kilograms per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 0.58 kilograms per hectare | -32.6% |
| 1963 | 0.56 kilograms per hectare | -3.4% |
| 1964 | 0.54 kilograms per hectare | -3.6% |
| 1965 | 0.57 kilograms per hectare | +5.6% |
| 1966 | 0.55 kilograms per hectare | -3.5% |
| 1967 | 0.57 kilograms per hectare | +3.6% |
| 1968 | 0.54 kilograms per hectare | -5.3% |
| 1969 | 0.52 kilograms per hectare | -3.7% |
| 1970 | 0.74 kilograms per hectare | +42.3% |
| 1971 | 1.42 kilograms per hectare | +91.9% |
| 1972 | 0.93 kilograms per hectare | -34.5% |
| 1973 | 1.22 kilograms per hectare | +31.2% |
| 1974 | 0.59 kilograms per hectare | -51.6% |
| 1975 | 0.31 kilograms per hectare | -47.5% |
| 1976 | 1.57 kilograms per hectare | +406.5% |
| 1977 | 2.57 kilograms per hectare | +63.7% |
| 1978 | 2.5 kilograms per hectare | -2.7% |
| 1979 | 2.33 kilograms per hectare | -6.8% |
| 1980 | 3.13 kilograms per hectare | +34.3% |
| 1981 | 2.32 kilograms per hectare | -25.9% |
| 1982 | 2.37 kilograms per hectare | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 5.98 kilograms per hectare | +152.3% |
| 1984 | 7.44 kilograms per hectare | +24.4% |
| 1985 | 3.81 kilograms per hectare | -48.8% |
| 1986 | 3.64 kilograms per hectare | -4.5% |
| 1987 | 4.73 kilograms per hectare | +29.9% |
| 1988 | 7.61 kilograms per hectare | +60.9% |
| 1989 | 7.74 kilograms per hectare | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 5.47 kilograms per hectare | -29.3% |
| 1991 | 6.45 kilograms per hectare | +17.9% |
| 1992 | 5.76 kilograms per hectare | -10.7% |
| 1993 | 8.64 kilograms per hectare | +50.0% |
| 1994 | 3.24 kilograms per hectare | -62.5% |
| 1995 | 4.25 kilograms per hectare | +31.2% |
| 1996 | 5.65 kilograms per hectare | +32.9% |
| 1997 | 4.88 kilograms per hectare | -13.6% |
| 1998 | 4.36 kilograms per hectare | -10.7% |
| 1999 | 5.87 kilograms per hectare | +34.6% |
| 2000 | 3.96 kilograms per hectare | -32.5% |
| 2001 | 1.81 kilograms per hectare | -54.3% |
| 2002 | 6.05 kilograms per hectare | +234.3% |
| 2003 | 6.6 kilograms per hectare | +9.1% |
| 2004 | 7.59 kilograms per hectare | +15.0% |
| 2005 | 5.91 kilograms per hectare | -22.1% |
| 2006 | 6.99 kilograms per hectare | +18.3% |
| 2007 | 7.39 kilograms per hectare | +5.7% |
| 2008 | 3.48 kilograms per hectare | -52.9% |
| 2009 | 5.67 kilograms per hectare | +62.9% |
| 2010 | 4.86 kilograms per hectare | -14.3% |
| 2011 | 3.84 kilograms per hectare | -21.0% |
| 2012 | 5.64 kilograms per hectare | +46.9% |
| 2013 | 6.91 kilograms per hectare | +22.5% |
| 2014 | 3.07 kilograms per hectare | -55.6% |
| 2015 | 6.94 kilograms per hectare | +126.1% |
| 2016 | 3.68 kilograms per hectare | -47.0% |
| 2017 | 6.07 kilograms per hectare | +64.9% |
| 2018 | 4.76 kilograms per hectare | -21.6% |
| 2019 | 4.93 kilograms per hectare | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 7.77 kilograms per hectare | +57.6% |
| 2021 | 8.36 kilograms per hectare | +7.6% |
| 2022 | 4.66 kilograms per hectare | -44.3% |
| 2023 | 10.81 kilograms per hectare | +132.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 10.81 kilograms per hectare is above the median for low income countries, which is 1.38 kilograms per hectare, 7.8× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 10.81 kilograms per hectare is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.54 kilograms per hectare, 7.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Phosphate fertilizer use per hectare of cropland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | +406.5% | 0.31 kilograms per hectare | 1.57 kilograms per hectare |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.5878 kilograms per hectare | 0.52 kilograms per hectare | 0.86 kilograms per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.42 kilograms per hectare | 0.31 kilograms per hectare | 2.57 kilograms per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.88 kilograms per hectare | 2.32 kilograms per hectare | 7.74 kilograms per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.46 kilograms per hectare | 3.24 kilograms per hectare | 8.64 kilograms per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.54 kilograms per hectare | 1.81 kilograms per hectare | 7.59 kilograms per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.07 kilograms per hectare | 3.07 kilograms per hectare | 6.94 kilograms per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.9 kilograms per hectare | 4.66 kilograms per hectare | 10.81 kilograms per hectare | 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 phosphate fertilizer use per hectare of cropland in Malawi?
- Phosphate fertilizer use per hectare of cropland in Malawi was 10.81 kilograms per hectare in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest phosphate fertilizer use per hectare of cropland recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 10.81 kilograms per hectare in 2023.
- What is the lowest phosphate fertilizer use per hectare of cropland recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.31 kilograms per hectare in 1975.
- How does Malawi rank for phosphate fertilizer use per hectare of cropland?
- Malawi ranks 99th out of 201 countries with data for 2023.
- Is phosphate fertilizer use per hectare of cropland rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 56.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Phosphate fertilizer use per hectare of cropland. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Application of phosphate fertilizer, measured in kilograms of total nutrient per hectare.