Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Malawi
Malawi: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 42.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Malawi, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
In 2023, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Malawi stood at 42.4%. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Malawi peaked at 42.4% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 13.8%, in 1961.
Malawi ranks 11th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 13.8% | — |
| 1962 | 14.8% | +7.7% |
| 1963 | 15.4% | +3.6% |
| 1964 | 15.9% | +3.4% |
| 1965 | 18.0% | +13.3% |
| 1966 | 18.6% | +2.9% |
| 1967 | 18.0% | -2.9% |
| 1968 | 19.1% | +5.9% |
| 1969 | 19.6% | +2.8% |
| 1970 | 19.1% | -2.7% |
| 1971 | 20.7% | +8.3% |
| 1972 | 21.2% | +2.6% |
| 1973 | 21.7% | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 21.7% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 21.2% | -2.4% |
| 1976 | 21.2% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 21.2% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 21.7% | +2.5% |
| 1979 | 21.7% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 20.2% | -7.3% |
| 1981 | 21.2% | +5.3% |
| 1982 | 22.3% | +5.0% |
| 1983 | 21.2% | -4.8% |
| 1984 | 21.7% | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 21.7% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 22.8% | +4.9% |
| 1987 | 22.8% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 22.8% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 23.3% | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 23.9% | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 24.9% | +4.4% |
| 1992 | 24.4% | -2.1% |
| 1993 | 24.4% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 22.3% | -8.7% |
| 1995 | 24.4% | +9.5% |
| 1996 | 25.5% | +4.3% |
| 1997 | 26.0% | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 27.6% | +6.1% |
| 1999 | 28.6% | +3.8% |
| 2000 | 29.2% | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 30.2% | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 30.2% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 31.8% | +5.3% |
| 2004 | 31.8% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 33.9% | +6.7% |
| 2006 | 35.0% | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 35.0% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 36.6% | +4.5% |
| 2009 | 37.1% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 37.1% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 37.1% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 37.1% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 37.6% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 38.2% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 38.8% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 39.4% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 40.0% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 40.5% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 41.1% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 41.7% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 42.4% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 42.4% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 42.4% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 17.0% | 13.8% | 19.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | 21.2% | 19.1% | 21.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 22.0% | 20.2% | 23.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 25.2% | 22.3% | 28.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 33.1% | 29.2% | 37.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.7% | 37.1% | 41.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.3% | 41.7% | 42.4% | 4 |
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 land area used for arable agriculture in Malawi?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Malawi was 42.4% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 42.4% in 2021.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.8% in 1961.
- How does Malawi rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Malawi ranks 11th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.8%. 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 (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land area used for arable agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The share of land area used for arable agriculture, measured as a percentage of total land area. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow.