Rice yields in Malawi
Malawi: Rice yields was 1.59 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
1.59 tonnes per hectare
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
106th
of 124 countries
All-time high
2.13 tonnes per hectare
in 2009
All-time low
0.6748 tonnes per hectare
in 1966
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Rice yields in Malawi, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per hectare.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rice yields in Malawi is 1.59 tonnes per hectare, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and down 19.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rice yields in Malawi peaked at 2.13 tonnes per hectare in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.6748 tonnes per hectare, in 1966.
Malawi ranks 106th of 124 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Rice yields in Malawi, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.7179 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 0.7668 tonnes per hectare | +6.8% |
| 1963 | 1.03 tonnes per hectare | +34.9% |
| 1964 | 0.9714 tonnes per hectare | -6.1% |
| 1965 | 0.9072 tonnes per hectare | -6.6% |
| 1966 | 0.6748 tonnes per hectare | -25.6% |
| 1967 | 0.7595 tonnes per hectare | +12.6% |
| 1968 | 0.8273 tonnes per hectare | +8.9% |
| 1969 | 1.07 tonnes per hectare | +29.9% |
| 1970 | 1.11 tonnes per hectare | +3.3% |
| 1971 | 0.9625 tonnes per hectare | -13.4% |
| 1972 | 0.9929 tonnes per hectare | +3.2% |
| 1973 | 1.7 tonnes per hectare | +71.2% |
| 1974 | 1.45 tonnes per hectare | -14.6% |
| 1975 | 1.93 tonnes per hectare | +32.5% |
| 1976 | 2 tonnes per hectare | +3.9% |
| 1977 | 1.89 tonnes per hectare | -5.6% |
| 1978 | 1.96 tonnes per hectare | +3.6% |
| 1979 | 0.9778 tonnes per hectare | -50.0% |
| 1980 | 0.9048 tonnes per hectare | -7.5% |
| 1981 | 1.58 tonnes per hectare | +74.2% |
| 1982 | 1.64 tonnes per hectare | +4.3% |
| 1983 | 1.28 tonnes per hectare | -22.3% |
| 1984 | 1.59 tonnes per hectare | +24.6% |
| 1985 | 1.65 tonnes per hectare | +3.5% |
| 1986 | 1.64 tonnes per hectare | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 1.49 tonnes per hectare | -8.9% |
| 1988 | 1.43 tonnes per hectare | -4.3% |
| 1989 | 1.79 tonnes per hectare | +25.2% |
| 1990 | 1.49 tonnes per hectare | -16.6% |
| 1991 | 1.92 tonnes per hectare | +29.1% |
| 1992 | 1.3 tonnes per hectare | -32.2% |
| 1993 | 1.68 tonnes per hectare | +29.0% |
| 1994 | 1.52 tonnes per hectare | -9.7% |
| 1995 | 1.56 tonnes per hectare | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 1.76 tonnes per hectare | +12.7% |
| 1997 | 1.63 tonnes per hectare | -7.6% |
| 1998 | 1.64 tonnes per hectare | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 2.03 tonnes per hectare | +23.6% |
| 2000 | 1.65 tonnes per hectare | -18.9% |
| 2001 | 1.86 tonnes per hectare | +12.9% |
| 2002 | 1.64 tonnes per hectare | -11.6% |
| 2003 | 1.62 tonnes per hectare | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 1.17 tonnes per hectare | -27.9% |
| 2005 | 0.8424 tonnes per hectare | -27.9% |
| 2006 | 1.76 tonnes per hectare | +108.6% |
| 2007 | 1.95 tonnes per hectare | +10.8% |
| 2008 | 1.82 tonnes per hectare | -6.6% |
| 2009 | 2.13 tonnes per hectare | +16.8% |
| 2010 | 1.86 tonnes per hectare | -12.4% |
| 2011 | 1.91 tonnes per hectare | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 1.85 tonnes per hectare | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 1.92 tonnes per hectare | +3.9% |
| 2014 | 1.96 tonnes per hectare | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 1.69 tonnes per hectare | -13.5% |
| 2016 | 1.56 tonnes per hectare | -7.9% |
| 2017 | 1.87 tonnes per hectare | +19.6% |
| 2018 | 1.76 tonnes per hectare | -5.9% |
| 2019 | 1.88 tonnes per hectare | +7.1% |
| 2020 | 2 tonnes per hectare | +6.3% |
| 2021 | 2.04 tonnes per hectare | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 1.8 tonnes per hectare | -12.0% |
| 2023 | 1.57 tonnes per hectare | -12.5% |
| 2024 | 1.59 tonnes per hectare | +0.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 1.59 tonnes per hectare is above the median for low income countries, which is 1.59 tonnes per hectare, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 1.59 tonnes per hectare is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.08 tonnes per hectare, 76% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Rice 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +108.6% | 0.8424 tonnes per hectare | 1.76 tonnes per hectare |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.8593 tonnes per hectare | 0.6748 tonnes per hectare | 1.07 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.5 tonnes per hectare | 0.9625 tonnes per hectare | 2 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.5 tonnes per hectare | 0.9048 tonnes per hectare | 1.79 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.65 tonnes per hectare | 1.3 tonnes per hectare | 2.03 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.64 tonnes per hectare | 0.8424 tonnes per hectare | 2.13 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.83 tonnes per hectare | 1.56 tonnes per hectare | 1.96 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.8 tonnes per hectare | 1.57 tonnes per hectare | 2.04 tonnes per hectare | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 103 Micronesia (country) 1.83 tonnes per hectare compare
- 104 Togo 1.74 tonnes per hectare compare
- 105 French Guiana 1.71 tonnes per hectare compare
- 107 Guinea 1.51 tonnes per hectare compare
- 108 Guinea-Bissau 1.45 tonnes per hectare compare
- 109 Sierra Leone 1.41 tonnes per hectare compare
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 rice yields in Malawi?
- Rice yields in Malawi was 1.59 tonnes per hectare in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest rice yields recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 2.13 tonnes per hectare in 2009.
- What is the lowest rice yields recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6748 tonnes per hectare in 1966.
- How does Malawi rank for rice yields?
- Malawi ranks 106th out of 124 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rice yields rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.0%. 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) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Rice 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
Yield is the amount produced per unit of land used, measured in tonnes per hectare.