Iceland vs Malawi: Land use over the long-term

Iceland
1.75 million hectares
in 2025
Malawi
1.85 million hectares
in 2025
Iceland rank
90th
Malawi rank
88th

Land use over the long-term over time

  • Iceland
  • Malawi
0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M100015122025

How they compare

Malawi currently reports 1.85 million hectares against 1.75 million hectares in Iceland, a difference of 99,000 hectares.

That makes Malawi's figure about 1.1 times Iceland's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Iceland ahead.

Iceland ranks 90th and Malawi ranks 88th of 202 countries.

Across the 40 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 10 and Malawi in 30.

Head to head by decade

Decade Iceland Malawi Difference Ahead
1000s 564,533 hectares 229,530 hectares 335,003 hectares Iceland
1100s 791,077 hectares 275,436 hectares 515,641 hectares Iceland
1200s 791,806 hectares 321,342 hectares 470,464 hectares Iceland
1300s 792,533 hectares 367,247 hectares 425,286 hectares Iceland
1400s 679,937 hectares 413,153 hectares 266,784 hectares Iceland
1500s 680,558 hectares 459,059 hectares 221,499 hectares Iceland
1600s 567,649 hectares 498,079 hectares 69,570 hectares Iceland
1700s 562,915 hectares 537,099 hectares 25,816 hectares Iceland
1710s 574,455 hectares 690,639 hectares 116,184 hectares Malawi
1720s 586,232 hectares 844,179 hectares 257,947 hectares Malawi
1730s 598,250 hectares 997,719 hectares 399,469 hectares Malawi
1740s 610,515 hectares 1.15 million hectares 540,745 hectares Malawi
1750s 623,031 hectares 1.30 million hectares 681,769 hectares Malawi
1760s 635,803 hectares 1.40 million hectares 766,447 hectares Malawi
1770s 648,837 hectares 1.49 million hectares 841,433 hectares Malawi
1780s 662,139 hectares 1.57 million hectares 907,311 hectares Malawi
1790s 675,713 hectares 1.64 million hectares 964,617 hectares Malawi
1800s 689,566 hectares 1.70 million hectares 1.01 million hectares Malawi
1810s 703,702 hectares 1.76 million hectares 1.06 million hectares Malawi
1820s 733,089 hectares 1.81 million hectares 1.08 million hectares Malawi
1830s 763,704 hectares 1.85 million hectares 1.09 million hectares Malawi
1840s 795,597 hectares 1.89 million hectares 1.09 million hectares Malawi
1850s 828,821 hectares 1.92 million hectares 1.09 million hectares Malawi
1860s 863,434 hectares 1.84 million hectares 972,546 hectares Malawi
1870s 872,234 hectares 1.75 million hectares 875,556 hectares Malawi
1880s 881,124 hectares 1.66 million hectares 774,176 hectares Malawi
1890s 890,104 hectares 1.62 million hectares 725,386 hectares Malawi
1900s 899,177 hectares 1.49 million hectares 593,153 hectares Malawi
1910s 908,341 hectares 1.32 million hectares 415,839 hectares Malawi
1920s 1.14 million hectares 1.22 million hectares 87,700 hectares Malawi
1930s 1.31 million hectares 1.37 million hectares 58,550 hectares Malawi
1940s 1.48 million hectares 1.51 million hectares 23,430 hectares Malawi
1950s 1.78 million hectares 1.76 million hectares 20,032 hectares Iceland
1960s 2.00 million hectares 1.83 million hectares 166,409 hectares Iceland
1970s 1.83 million hectares 1.84 million hectares 10,100 hectares Malawi
1980s 1.77 million hectares 1.84 million hectares 74,200 hectares Malawi
1990s 1.76 million hectares 1.84 million hectares 81,500 hectares Malawi
2000s 1.75 million hectares 1.85 million hectares 95,300 hectares Malawi
2010s 1.75 million hectares 1.85 million hectares 99,000 hectares Malawi
2020s 1.75 million hectares 1.85 million hectares 99,000 hectares Malawi

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher land use over the long-term, Iceland or Malawi?
Malawi, at 1.85 million hectares against 1.75 million hectares in Iceland as of 2025.
What is the difference in land use over the long-term between Iceland and Malawi?
99,000 hectares, with Malawi ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Malawi?
108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
How do Iceland and Malawi rank globally for land use over the long-term?
Iceland ranks 90th and Malawi ranks 88th of 202 countries.
Where does this data come from?
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Land use over the long-term. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Land use over the long-term
Unit
hectares
Source
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 21,816 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Total grazingland area for each separate country over time.