Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Malawi
Malawi: Lakes and rivers seasonal water area was 0.5% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Malawi, 2000–2022
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 0.5% for lakes and rivers seasonal water area in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.4% on the previous year and up 237.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Malawi peaked at 0.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2001.
That places Malawi 73rd out of 221 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.2% | — |
| 2001 | 0.1% | -41.0% |
| 2002 | 0.1% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 0.1% | +11.6% |
| 2004 | 0.1% | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 0.1% | +9.4% |
| 2006 | 0.2% | +18.6% |
| 2007 | 0.2% | +5.0% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 0.2% | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 0.2% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 0.2% | -9.0% |
| 2012 | 0.2% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 0.3% | +58.7% |
| 2014 | 0.3% | +7.9% |
| 2015 | 0.3% | +17.0% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | +4.4% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | +9.8% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | +9.3% |
| 2019 | 0.5% | +25.0% |
| 2020 | 0.6% | +13.2% |
| 2021 | 0.6% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 0.5% | -4.4% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 0.5% is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.3%, 2.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 0.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.3%, 2.1× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Lakes and rivers seasonal water area 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | +58.7% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 3 |
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)
- Cropland — Area, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Cropland — Area, per unit of GDP 0 1000 ha per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cropland — Area, per capita 0.0002 1000 ha per person (2024)
- Arable land — Area, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arable land — Area, per unit of GDP 0 1000 ha per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Malawi?
- Lakes and rivers seasonal water area in Malawi was 0.5% in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest lakes and rivers seasonal water area recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 0.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest lakes and rivers seasonal water area recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2001.
- How does Malawi rank for lakes and rivers seasonal water area?
- Malawi ranks 73rd out of 221 countries with data for 2022.
- Is lakes and rivers seasonal water area rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 237.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Lakes and rivers seasonal water area (% of total land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).