Share of cereals allocated to human food in Malawi
Malawi: Share of cereals allocated to human food was 88.3% in 2023. ▬ Flat
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 191 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
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 4.48 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 30.0% (2025)
- Rural population 18.31 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 2.2% (2025)
- Rural population 82.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 30.0% (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 30.0% (2025)
- Land under cereal production 2.04 million hectares (2023)
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 191 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.
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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.