Sorghum — Area harvested in Malawi
Malawi: Sorghum — Area harvested was 96,872 ha in 2024. ▲ Rising
Sorghum — Area harvested in Malawi, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 96,872 ha for sorghum — area harvested in 2024.
That represents a change of down 20.9% on the previous year and up 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sorghum — area harvested in Malawi peaked at 130,000 ha in 1977 and was at its lowest, 21,302 ha, in 1984.
Malawi ranks 37th of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Sorghum — Area harvested in Malawi, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 65,000 ha | — |
| 1962 | 70,000 ha | +7.7% |
| 1963 | 77,000 ha | +10.0% |
| 1964 | 84,000 ha | +9.1% |
| 1965 | 84,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 92,000 ha | +9.5% |
| 1967 | 92,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 95,000 ha | +3.3% |
| 1969 | 100,000 ha | +5.3% |
| 1970 | 100,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 120,000 ha | +20.0% |
| 1972 | 120,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 120,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 120,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 120,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 120,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 130,000 ha | +8.3% |
| 1978 | 30,000 ha | -76.9% |
| 1979 | 30,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 30,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 30,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 30,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 22,649 ha | -24.5% |
| 1984 | 21,302 ha | -5.9% |
| 1985 | 32,725 ha | +53.6% |
| 1986 | 32,059 ha | -2.0% |
| 1987 | 30,626 ha | -4.5% |
| 1988 | 30,099 ha | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 29,828 ha | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 30,814 ha | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 31,035 ha | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 27,668 ha | -10.8% |
| 1993 | 43,873 ha | +58.6% |
| 1994 | 54,482 ha | +24.2% |
| 1995 | 61,633 ha | +13.1% |
| 1996 | 76,029 ha | +23.4% |
| 1997 | 83,859 ha | +10.3% |
| 1998 | 67,938 ha | -19.0% |
| 1999 | 59,310 ha | -12.7% |
| 2000 | 55,030 ha | -7.2% |
| 2001 | 54,098 ha | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 54,404 ha | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 59,627 ha | +9.6% |
| 2004 | 63,459 ha | +6.4% |
| 2005 | 68,419 ha | +7.8% |
| 2006 | 70,644 ha | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 74,131 ha | +4.9% |
| 2008 | 74,569 ha | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 75,332 ha | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 88,498 ha | +17.5% |
| 2011 | 89,607 ha | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 79,780 ha | -11.0% |
| 2013 | 89,399 ha | +12.1% |
| 2014 | 92,093 ha | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 93,858 ha | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 98,853 ha | +5.3% |
| 2017 | 103,921 ha | +5.1% |
| 2018 | 106,242 ha | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 114,130 ha | +7.4% |
| 2020 | 117,132 ha | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 116,983 ha | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 116,797 ha | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 122,463 ha | +4.9% |
| 2024 | 96,872 ha | -20.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 96,872 ha is below the median for low income countries, which is 260,000 ha, 37% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 96,872 ha is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 225,850 ha, 43% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Sorghum — Area harvested in Malawi changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | -76.9% | 130,000 ha | 30,000 ha |
| 1993 | +58.6% | 27,668 ha | 43,873 ha |
| 1985 | +53.6% | 21,302 ha | 32,725 ha |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 84,333 ha | 65,000 ha | 100,000 ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 101,000 ha | 30,000 ha | 130,000 ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 28,929 ha | 21,302 ha | 32,725 ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 53,664 ha | 27,668 ha | 83,859 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 64,971 ha | 54,098 ha | 75,332 ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 95,638 ha | 79,780 ha | 114,130 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 114,049 ha | 96,872 ha | 122,463 ha | 5 |
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 sorghum — area harvested in Malawi?
- Sorghum — area harvested in Malawi was 96,872 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest sorghum — area harvested recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 130,000 ha in 1977.
- What is the lowest sorghum — area harvested recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 21,302 ha in 1984.
- How does Malawi rank for sorghum — area harvested?
- Malawi ranks 37th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sorghum — area harvested rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.2%. 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, published as part of Sorghum — Area harvested. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
Crop and livestock statistics are recorded for 278 products, covering the following categories: 1) CROPS PRIMARY: Cereals, Citrus Fruit, Fibre Crops, Fruit, Oil Crops, Oil Crops and Cakes in Oil Equivalent, Pulses, Roots and Tubers, Sugar Crops, Treenuts and Vegetables. Data are expressed in terms of area harvested, production quantity and yield. Cereals: Area and production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed or silage or used for grazing are therefore excluded. 2) CROPS PROCESSED: Beer of barley; Cotton lint; Cottonseed; Margarine, short; Molasses; Oil, coconut (copra); Oil, cottonseed; Oil, groundnut; Oil, linseed; Oil, maize; Oil, olive, virgin; Oil, palm; Oil, palm kernel; Oil, rapeseed; Oil, safflower; Oil, sesame; Oil, soybean; Oil, sunflower; Palm kernels; Sugar Raw Centrifugal; Wine. 3) LIVE ANIMALS: Animals live n.e.s.; Asses; Beehives; Buffaloes; Camelids, other; Camels; Cattle; Chickens; Ducks; Geese and guinea fowls; Goats; Horses; Mules; Pigeons, other birds; Pigs; Rabbits and hares; Rodents, other; Sheep; Turkeys. 4) LIVESTOCK PRIMARY: Beeswax; Eggs (various types); Hides buffalo, fresh; Hides, cattle, fresh; Honey, natural; Meat (ass, bird nes, buffalo, camel, cattle, chicken, duck, game, goat, goose and guinea fowl, horse, mule, Meat nes, meat other camelids, Meat other rodents, pig, rabbit, sheep, turkey); Milk (buffalo, camel, cow, goat, sheep); Offals, nes; Silk-worm cocoons, reelable; Skins (goat, sheep); Snails, not sea; Wool, greasy. 5) LIVESTOCK PROCESSED: Butter (of milk from sheep, goat, buffalo, cow); Cheese (of milk from goat, buffalo, sheep, cow milk); Cheese of skimmed cow milk; Cream fresh; Ghee (cow and buffalo milk); Lard; Milk (dry buttermilk, skimmed condensed, skimmed cow, skimmed dried, skimmed evaporated, whole condensed, whole dried, whole evaporated); Silk raw; Tallow; Whey (condensed and dry); Yoghurt.