Share of employment in agriculture in Malawi
Malawi: Share of employment in agriculture was 65.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture in Malawi, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026); Broadberry and Gardner (2013); International Labor Organization (via World Bank) (2013) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 65.0% for share of employment in agriculture in 2025.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture in Malawi peaked at 73.9% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 63.9%, in 2019.
That places Malawi 8th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Share of employment in agriculture in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 72.9% | — |
| 1992 | 73.9% | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 73.3% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 73.1% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 72.1% | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 71.6% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 71.3% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 71.1% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 71.1% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 71.1% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 71.8% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 71.8% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 71.4% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 70.9% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 70.7% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 70.2% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 69.3% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 68.6% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 67.7% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 67.1% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 66.6% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 66.6% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 66.1% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 65.6% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 65.3% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 65.2% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 64.8% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 64.4% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 63.9% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 64.9% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 65.3% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 65.4% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 65.3% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 65.2% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 65.0% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 72.3% | 71.1% | 73.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 70.4% | 67.7% | 71.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.6% | 63.9% | 67.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.2% | 64.9% | 65.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 5 Madagascar 69.2% compare
- 6 Lao People's Democratic Republic 68.6% compare
- 7 Central African Republic 66.1% compare
- 9 Uganda 64.9% compare
- 10 Tanzania, United Republic of 64.6% compare
- 11 South Sudan 63.8% 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 employment in agriculture in Malawi?
- Share of employment in agriculture in Malawi was 65.0% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026); Broadberry and Gardner (2013); International Labor Organization (via World Bank) (2013) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of employment in agriculture recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 73.9% in 1992.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.9% in 2019.
- How does Malawi rank for share of employment in agriculture?
- Malawi ranks 8th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment in agriculture rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026); Broadberry and Gardner (2013); International Labor Organization (via World Bank) (2013) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of employment in agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of working people employed in agriculture, including hunting, forestry and fishing.