Forest area by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted in Malawi
Malawi: Forest area by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted was 59,030 hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
59,030 hectares
Change on year
down 5.3%
World rank
114th
of 185 countries
All-time high
139,100 hectares
in 1990
All-time low
59,030 hectares
in 2025
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Forest area by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted in Malawi, 1990–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 59,030 hectares for forest area by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is down 5.3% on the previous year and down 31.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted in Malawi peaked at 139,100 hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 59,030 hectares, in 2025.
Malawi ranks 114th of 185 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Forest area by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted in Malawi, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 139,100 hectares | — |
| 1991 | 136,990 hectares | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 134,880 hectares | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 132,770 hectares | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 130,660 hectares | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 128,550 hectares | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 126,440 hectares | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 124,330 hectares | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 122,220 hectares | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 120,110 hectares | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 118,000 hectares | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 115,880 hectares | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 113,760 hectares | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 111,640 hectares | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 109,520 hectares | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 107,400 hectares | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 105,280 hectares | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 103,160 hectares | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 101,040 hectares | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 98,920 hectares | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 96,800 hectares | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 94,680 hectares | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 92,560 hectares | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 90,440 hectares | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 88,320 hectares | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 86,200 hectares | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 84,100 hectares | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 82,000 hectares | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 79,900 hectares | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 77,800 hectares | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 75,700 hectares | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 72,366 hectares | -4.4% |
| 2022 | 69,032 hectares | -4.6% |
| 2023 | 65,698 hectares | -4.8% |
| 2024 | 62,364 hectares | -5.1% |
| 2025 | 59,030 hectares | -5.3% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 59,030 hectares is below the median for low income countries, which is 130,585 hectares, 45% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 59,030 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 112,210 hectares, 53% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 129,605 hectares | 120,110 hectares | 139,100 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 108,460 hectares | 98,920 hectares | 118,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 87,280 hectares | 77,800 hectares | 96,800 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 67,365 hectares | 59,030 hectares | 75,700 hectares | 6 |
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)
- 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)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted in Malawi?
- Forest area by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted in Malawi was 59,030 hectares in 2025, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest forest area by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 139,100 hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 59,030 hectares in 2025.
- How does Malawi rank for forest area by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted?
- Malawi ranks 114th out of 185 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forest area by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Forest area by type: naturally regenerating vs. planted. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).