Share of cereals allocated to human food in Malawi
Malawi: Share of cereals allocated to human food was 88.3% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
88.3%
Change on year
up 6.1%
World rank
44th
of 192 countries
All-time high
96.3%
in 2015
All-time low
81.7%
in 2021
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Share of cereals allocated to human food in Malawi, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 88.3% for share of cereals allocated to human food in 2023.
The figure is up 6.1% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of cereals allocated to human food in Malawi peaked at 96.3% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 81.7%, in 2021.
That places Malawi 44th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
Share of cereals allocated to human food in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 90.0% | — |
| 1962 | 87.6% | -2.7% |
| 1963 | 92.3% | +5.4% |
| 1964 | 93.0% | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 92.0% | -1.0% |
| 1966 | 92.1% | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 89.1% | -3.2% |
| 1968 | 89.2% | +0.2% |
| 1969 | 90.5% | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 90.2% | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 87.1% | -3.5% |
| 1972 | 87.0% | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 87.2% | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 87.3% | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 88.3% | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 88.6% | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 88.7% | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 90.1% | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 90.2% | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 91.2% | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 93.3% | +2.4% |
| 1982 | 93.1% | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 95.5% | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 95.7% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 95.9% | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 95.1% | -0.8% |
| 1987 | 95.4% | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 95.1% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 95.3% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 95.3% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 90.6% | -5.0% |
| 1992 | 93.2% | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 82.9% | -11.1% |
| 1994 | 93.7% | +13.0% |
| 1995 | 89.9% | -4.1% |
| 1996 | 89.3% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 90.0% | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 89.8% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 86.8% | -3.3% |
| 2000 | 87.2% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 91.4% | +4.8% |
| 2002 | 91.4% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 91.6% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 91.9% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 94.0% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 85.7% | -8.8% |
| 2007 | 84.1% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 85.6% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 82.6% | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 88.5% | +7.2% |
| 2011 | 88.3% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 88.7% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 90.5% | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 95.9% | +6.0% |
| 2015 | 96.3% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 96.3% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 90.9% | -5.6% |
| 2018 | 92.9% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 94.8% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 85.5% | -9.7% |
| 2021 | 81.7% | -4.5% |
| 2022 | 83.2% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 88.3% | +6.1% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 88.3% is below the median for low income countries, which is 94.6%, 93% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 88.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 88.3%, 1.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 90.6% | 87.6% | 93.0% | 9 |
| 1970s | 88.5% | 87.0% | 90.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 94.6% | 91.2% | 95.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 90.1% | 82.9% | 95.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 88.6% | 82.6% | 94.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 92.3% | 88.3% | 96.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 84.7% | 81.7% | 88.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 41 Democratic Republic of Congo 89.8% compare
- 42 North Korea 89.0% compare
- 43 Antigua and Barbuda 88.9% compare
- 45 Zimbabwe 88.1% compare
- 46 Hong Kong 87.3% compare
- 47 Ethiopia 86.9% 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 share of cereals allocated to human food in Malawi?
- Share of cereals allocated to human food in Malawi was 88.3% 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 share of cereals allocated to human food recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 96.3% in 2015.
- What is the lowest share of cereals allocated to human food recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 81.7% in 2021.
- How does Malawi rank for share of cereals allocated to human food?
- Malawi ranks 44th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of cereals allocated to human food rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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 Share of cereals allocated to human food. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of cereals available for domestic use – after accounting for trade – that is allocated to direct human consumption, relative to the total used for human food, animal feed, and industrial purposes. This excludes cereals used for seed, processing, and losses.