Cropland — Area in Malawi
Malawi: Cropland — Area was 4,282 1000 ha in 2024. ▲ Rising
Cropland — Area in Malawi, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in 1000 ha.
Analysis
In 2024, cropland — area in Malawi stood at 4,282 1000 ha. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
That represents a change of up 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cropland — area in Malawi peaked at 4,282 1000 ha in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1,360 1000 ha, in 1961.
Malawi ranks 77th of 252 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.
Cropland — Area in Malawi, year by year
| Year | 1000 ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1,360 1000 ha | — |
| 1962 | 1,460 1000 ha | +7.4% |
| 1963 | 1,510 1000 ha | +3.4% |
| 1964 | 1,560 1000 ha | +3.3% |
| 1965 | 1,763 1000 ha | +13.0% |
| 1966 | 1,813 1000 ha | +2.8% |
| 1967 | 1,765 1000 ha | -2.6% |
| 1968 | 1,867 1000 ha | +5.8% |
| 1969 | 1,917 1000 ha | +2.7% |
| 1970 | 1,867 1000 ha | -2.6% |
| 1971 | 2,017 1000 ha | +8.0% |
| 1972 | 2,067 1000 ha | +2.5% |
| 1973 | 2,117 1000 ha | +2.4% |
| 1974 | 2,120 1000 ha | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 2,070 1000 ha | -2.4% |
| 1976 | 2,072 1000 ha | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 2,075 1000 ha | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 2,128 1000 ha | +2.6% |
| 1979 | 2,130 1000 ha | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 1,990 1000 ha | -6.6% |
| 1981 | 2,090 1000 ha | +5.0% |
| 1982 | 2,190 1000 ha | +4.8% |
| 1983 | 2,100 1000 ha | -4.1% |
| 1984 | 2,150 1000 ha | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 2,165 1000 ha | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 2,265 1000 ha | +4.6% |
| 1987 | 2,270 1000 ha | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 2,275 1000 ha | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 2,325 1000 ha | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 2,378 1000 ha | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 2,480 1000 ha | +4.3% |
| 1992 | 2,430 1000 ha | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 2,430 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 2,230 1000 ha | -8.2% |
| 1995 | 2,430 1000 ha | +9.0% |
| 1996 | 2,530 1000 ha | +4.1% |
| 1997 | 2,580 1000 ha | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 2,730 1000 ha | +5.8% |
| 1999 | 2,830 1000 ha | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 2,880 1000 ha | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 2,980 1000 ha | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 2,980 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 3,130 1000 ha | +5.0% |
| 2004 | 3,130 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 3,330 1000 ha | +6.4% |
| 2006 | 3,430 1000 ha | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 3,430 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 3,580 1000 ha | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 3,630 1000 ha | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 3,630 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 3,630 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 3,630 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3,734 1000 ha | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 3,790 1000 ha | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 3,845 1000 ha | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 3,970 1000 ha | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 4,025 1000 ha | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 4,081 1000 ha | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 4,136 1000 ha | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 4,216 1000 ha | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 4,282 1000 ha | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 4,282 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4,282 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 4,282 1000 ha | +0.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 4,282 1000 ha is above the median for low income countries, which is 3,640 1000 ha, 1.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 4,282 1000 ha is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2,830 1000 ha, 1.5× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1,668 1000 ha | 1,360 1000 ha | 1,917 1000 ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 2,066 1000 ha | 1,867 1000 ha | 2,130 1000 ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 2,182 1000 ha | 1,990 1000 ha | 2,325 1000 ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 2,504 1000 ha | 2,230 1000 ha | 2,830 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 3,250 1000 ha | 2,880 1000 ha | 3,630 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 3,847 1000 ha | 3,630 1000 ha | 4,136 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,269 1000 ha | 4,216 1000 ha | 4,282 1000 ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More environment data for Malawi
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -0.9153 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -0.8098 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.254 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.07 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.65 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 5.3 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cropland — area in Malawi?
- Cropland — area in Malawi was 4,282 1000 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest cropland — area recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 4,282 1000 ha in 2021.
- What is the lowest cropland — area recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,360 1000 ha in 1961.
- How does Malawi rank for cropland — area?
- Malawi ranks 77th out of 252 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cropland — area rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.0%. 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 Cropland — Area. 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
The FAOSTAT Land Use domain contains data on twenty-one land use categories and twenty-three categories of irrigation and agricultural practices. Data are available yearly and by country, regional and global levels. The domain includes Land Use Indicators providing information on the percentage share of agricultural and forest land, and their sub-components, including irrigated areas and areas under organic agriculture, within a country land use matrix. Data are available at country, regional and global level, for the following elements: (in percentage) i) Share in Land area; ii) Share in Agricultural land, iii) Share in Cropland; and iv) Share in Forest land; (in ha/pc) v) Area per capita.