Land use hidden — Cropland in Malawi
Malawi: Land use hidden — Cropland was 42,000 Square kilometres in 2023. ▲ Rising
Land use hidden — Cropland in Malawi, 1961–2023
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Square kilometres.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 42,000 Square kilometres for land use hidden — cropland in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 13.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use hidden — cropland in Malawi peaked at 42,000 Square kilometres in 2021 and was at its lowest, 13,600 Square kilometres, in 1961.
Malawi ranks 57th of 193 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land use hidden — Cropland in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Square kilometres | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 13,600 Square kilometres | — |
| 1962 | 14,600 Square kilometres | +7.4% |
| 1963 | 15,100 Square kilometres | +3.4% |
| 1964 | 15,600 Square kilometres | +3.3% |
| 1965 | 17,630 Square kilometres | +13.0% |
| 1966 | 18,130 Square kilometres | +2.8% |
| 1967 | 17,650 Square kilometres | -2.6% |
| 1968 | 18,670 Square kilometres | +5.8% |
| 1969 | 19,170 Square kilometres | +2.7% |
| 1970 | 18,670 Square kilometres | -2.6% |
| 1971 | 20,170 Square kilometres | +8.0% |
| 1972 | 20,670 Square kilometres | +2.5% |
| 1973 | 21,170 Square kilometres | +2.4% |
| 1974 | 21,200 Square kilometres | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 20,700 Square kilometres | -2.4% |
| 1976 | 20,720 Square kilometres | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 20,750 Square kilometres | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 21,280 Square kilometres | +2.6% |
| 1979 | 21,300 Square kilometres | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 19,900 Square kilometres | -6.6% |
| 1981 | 20,900 Square kilometres | +5.0% |
| 1982 | 21,900 Square kilometres | +4.8% |
| 1983 | 21,000 Square kilometres | -4.1% |
| 1984 | 21,500 Square kilometres | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 21,650 Square kilometres | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 22,650 Square kilometres | +4.6% |
| 1987 | 22,700 Square kilometres | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 22,750 Square kilometres | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 23,250 Square kilometres | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 23,780 Square kilometres | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 24,800 Square kilometres | +4.3% |
| 1992 | 24,300 Square kilometres | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 24,300 Square kilometres | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 22,300 Square kilometres | -8.2% |
| 1995 | 24,300 Square kilometres | +9.0% |
| 1996 | 25,300 Square kilometres | +4.1% |
| 1997 | 25,800 Square kilometres | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 27,300 Square kilometres | +5.8% |
| 1999 | 28,300 Square kilometres | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 28,800 Square kilometres | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 29,800 Square kilometres | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 29,800 Square kilometres | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 31,300 Square kilometres | +5.0% |
| 2004 | 31,300 Square kilometres | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 33,300 Square kilometres | +6.4% |
| 2006 | 34,350 Square kilometres | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 34,350 Square kilometres | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 35,850 Square kilometres | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 36,350 Square kilometres | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 36,350 Square kilometres | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 36,350 Square kilometres | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 36,350 Square kilometres | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 36,950 Square kilometres | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 38,010 Square kilometres | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 38,560 Square kilometres | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 39,120 Square kilometres | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 39,670 Square kilometres | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 40,230 Square kilometres | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 40,780 Square kilometres | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 41,340 Square kilometres | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 42,000 Square kilometres | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 42,000 Square kilometres | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 42,000 Square kilometres | +0.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 42,000 Square kilometres is above the median for low income countries, which is 26,120 Square kilometres, 1.6× the median. (20 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 42,000 Square kilometres is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 38,750 Square kilometres, 1.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 16,683 Square kilometres | 13,600 Square kilometres | 19,170 Square kilometres | 9 |
| 1970s | 20,663 Square kilometres | 18,670 Square kilometres | 21,300 Square kilometres | 10 |
| 1980s | 21,820 Square kilometres | 19,900 Square kilometres | 23,250 Square kilometres | 10 |
| 1990s | 25,048 Square kilometres | 22,300 Square kilometres | 28,300 Square kilometres | 10 |
| 2000s | 32,520 Square kilometres | 28,800 Square kilometres | 36,350 Square kilometres | 10 |
| 2010s | 38,237 Square kilometres | 36,350 Square kilometres | 40,780 Square kilometres | 10 |
| 2020s | 41,835 Square kilometres | 41,340 Square kilometres | 42,000 Square kilometres | 4 |
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 land use hidden — cropland in Malawi?
- Land use hidden — cropland in Malawi was 42,000 Square kilometres in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest land use hidden — cropland recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 42,000 Square kilometres in 2021.
- What is the lowest land use hidden — cropland recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 13,600 Square kilometres in 1961.
- How does Malawi rank for land use hidden — cropland?
- Malawi ranks 57th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use hidden — cropland rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Land use hidden — Cropland. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
Land resources are one of the four components of the natural environment: water, air, land and living resources. In this context land is both: a physical "milieu" necessary for the development of natural vegetation as well as cultivated vegetation; a resource for human activities. The data presented here give information concerning land use state and changes (e.g. agricultural land, forest land). Data source(s): Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N., (FAOSTAT) Contact: ENV.Stat@oecd.org Dataset release date: June 3, 2024 Database documentation Countries metadata