Potato yields in Malawi
Malawi: Potato yields was 19.18 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
19.18 tonnes per hectare
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
84th
of 159 countries
All-time high
19.18 tonnes per hectare
in 2024
All-time low
5.8 tonnes per hectare
in 1995
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Potato yields in Malawi, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025); Broadberry et al. (2015); Brassley (2000) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per hectare.
Analysis
In 2024, potato yields in Malawi stood at 19.18 tonnes per hectare. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, potato yields in Malawi peaked at 19.18 tonnes per hectare in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.8 tonnes per hectare, in 1995.
Malawi ranks 84th of 159 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Potato yields in Malawi, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 6 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 6.2 tonnes per hectare | +3.3% |
| 1963 | 6.4 tonnes per hectare | +3.2% |
| 1964 | 6 tonnes per hectare | -6.3% |
| 1965 | 6.18 tonnes per hectare | +3.0% |
| 1966 | 6.36 tonnes per hectare | +2.9% |
| 1967 | 6.5 tonnes per hectare | +2.1% |
| 1968 | 6.67 tonnes per hectare | +2.6% |
| 1969 | 6.49 tonnes per hectare | -2.7% |
| 1970 | 6.63 tonnes per hectare | +2.2% |
| 1971 | 6.42 tonnes per hectare | -3.2% |
| 1972 | 6.56 tonnes per hectare | +2.2% |
| 1973 | 6.71 tonnes per hectare | +2.4% |
| 1974 | 6.86 tonnes per hectare | +2.1% |
| 1975 | 7 tonnes per hectare | +2.1% |
| 1976 | 7.14 tonnes per hectare | +2.0% |
| 1977 | 7.08 tonnes per hectare | -0.8% |
| 1978 | 7.22 tonnes per hectare | +2.0% |
| 1979 | 7.22 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 7.11 tonnes per hectare | -1.6% |
| 1981 | 7 tonnes per hectare | -1.5% |
| 1982 | 7.12 tonnes per hectare | +1.8% |
| 1983 | 7.25 tonnes per hectare | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 7.02 tonnes per hectare | -3.1% |
| 1985 | 7.14 tonnes per hectare | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 7.21 tonnes per hectare | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 9.95 tonnes per hectare | +37.9% |
| 1988 | 10.44 tonnes per hectare | +5.0% |
| 1989 | 7.19 tonnes per hectare | -31.1% |
| 1990 | 10.2 tonnes per hectare | +41.8% |
| 1991 | 6.67 tonnes per hectare | -34.6% |
| 1992 | 13.6 tonnes per hectare | +103.8% |
| 1993 | 9.09 tonnes per hectare | -33.1% |
| 1994 | 8.54 tonnes per hectare | -6.1% |
| 1995 | 5.8 tonnes per hectare | -32.1% |
| 1996 | 9.03 tonnes per hectare | +55.7% |
| 1997 | 9.58 tonnes per hectare | +6.1% |
| 1998 | 10.48 tonnes per hectare | +9.4% |
| 1999 | 11.22 tonnes per hectare | +7.1% |
| 2000 | 11.46 tonnes per hectare | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 13.54 tonnes per hectare | +18.2% |
| 2002 | 12.68 tonnes per hectare | -6.4% |
| 2003 | 13.09 tonnes per hectare | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 12.09 tonnes per hectare | -7.7% |
| 2005 | 9.04 tonnes per hectare | -25.2% |
| 2006 | 13.34 tonnes per hectare | +47.7% |
| 2007 | 15.19 tonnes per hectare | +13.8% |
| 2008 | 14.6 tonnes per hectare | -3.9% |
| 2009 | 16.19 tonnes per hectare | +10.9% |
| 2010 | 16.06 tonnes per hectare | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 15.99 tonnes per hectare | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 17.2 tonnes per hectare | +7.6% |
| 2013 | 17.54 tonnes per hectare | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 17.47 tonnes per hectare | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 17.29 tonnes per hectare | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 16.55 tonnes per hectare | -4.3% |
| 2017 | 18.42 tonnes per hectare | +11.3% |
| 2018 | 16.52 tonnes per hectare | -10.3% |
| 2019 | 15.83 tonnes per hectare | -4.2% |
| 2020 | 18.03 tonnes per hectare | +13.9% |
| 2021 | 18.57 tonnes per hectare | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 18.67 tonnes per hectare | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 18.81 tonnes per hectare | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 19.18 tonnes per hectare | +2.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 19.18 tonnes per hectare is above the median for low income countries, which is 10.02 tonnes per hectare, 1.9× the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 19.18 tonnes per hectare is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.02 tonnes per hectare, 1.9× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Potato yields 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | +103.8% | 6.67 tonnes per hectare | 13.6 tonnes per hectare |
| 1996 | +55.7% | 5.8 tonnes per hectare | 9.03 tonnes per hectare |
| 2006 | +47.7% | 9.04 tonnes per hectare | 13.34 tonnes per hectare |
| 1990 | +41.8% | 7.19 tonnes per hectare | 10.2 tonnes per hectare |
| 1991 | -34.6% | 10.2 tonnes per hectare | 6.67 tonnes per hectare |
| 1987 | +37.9% | 7.21 tonnes per hectare | 9.95 tonnes per hectare |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.31 tonnes per hectare | 6 tonnes per hectare | 6.67 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 6.89 tonnes per hectare | 6.42 tonnes per hectare | 7.22 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.74 tonnes per hectare | 7 tonnes per hectare | 10.44 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.42 tonnes per hectare | 5.8 tonnes per hectare | 13.6 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.12 tonnes per hectare | 9.04 tonnes per hectare | 16.19 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.89 tonnes per hectare | 15.83 tonnes per hectare | 18.42 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.65 tonnes per hectare | 18.03 tonnes per hectare | 19.18 tonnes per hectare | 5 |
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 potato yields in Malawi?
- Potato yields in Malawi was 19.18 tonnes per hectare in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025); Broadberry et al. (2015); Brassley (2000) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest potato yields recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 19.18 tonnes per hectare in 2024.
- What is the lowest potato yields recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.8 tonnes per hectare in 1995.
- How does Malawi rank for potato yields?
- Malawi ranks 84th out of 159 countries with data for 2024.
- Is potato yields rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.8%. 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 of the United Nations (2025); Broadberry et al. (2015); Brassley (2000) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Potato yields. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Yields are measured in tonnes per hectare.