Share of agriculture in total employment in Malawi
Malawi: Share of agriculture in total employment was 65.2% in 2010. ▼ Falling
Share of agriculture in total employment in Malawi, 1966–2010
Source: Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 65.2% for share of agriculture in total employment in 2010. That is the lowest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.1% on the previous year and down 20.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of agriculture in total employment in Malawi peaked at 88.9% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 65.2%, in 2010.
Malawi ranks 4th of 44 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.
Share of agriculture in total employment in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 84.4% | — |
| 1967 | 85.7% | +1.5% |
| 1968 | 86.2% | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 86.1% | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 86.7% | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 86.0% | -0.8% |
| 1972 | 86.3% | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 86.0% | -0.3% |
| 1974 | 85.5% | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 85.0% | -0.6% |
| 1976 | 85.6% | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 86.1% | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 85.3% | -0.9% |
| 1979 | 85.7% | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 87.0% | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 88.4% | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 88.9% | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 88.0% | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 87.5% | -0.6% |
| 1985 | 86.7% | -0.9% |
| 1986 | 85.9% | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 87.1% | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 87.0% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 86.7% | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 86.1% | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 85.3% | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 84.9% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 85.4% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 85.0% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 84.8% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 84.3% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 83.0% | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 83.2% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 82.5% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 82.3% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 82.0% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 80.9% | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 80.5% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 77.6% | -3.6% |
| 2005 | 75.4% | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 75.2% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 72.5% | -3.6% |
| 2008 | 69.2% | -4.6% |
| 2009 | 67.3% | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 65.2% | -3.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 85.6% | 84.4% | 86.2% | 4 |
| 1970s | 85.8% | 85.0% | 86.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 87.3% | 85.9% | 88.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 84.5% | 82.5% | 86.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 76.3% | 67.3% | 82.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.2% | 65.2% | 65.2% | 1 |
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 share of agriculture in total employment in Malawi?
- Share of agriculture in total employment in Malawi was 65.2% in 2010, according to Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of agriculture in total employment recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 88.9% in 1982.
- What is the lowest share of agriculture in total employment recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.2% in 2010.
- How does Malawi rank for share of agriculture in total employment?
- Malawi ranks 4th out of 44 countries with data for 2010.
- Is share of agriculture in total employment rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of agriculture in total employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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