Land use hidden — Forest in Malawi
Malawi: Land use hidden — Forest was 21,157 Square kilometres in 2023. ▼ Falling
Land use hidden — Forest in Malawi, 1990–2023
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Square kilometres.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 21,157 Square kilometres for land use hidden — forest in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.9% on the previous year and down 16.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use hidden — forest in Malawi peaked at 35,017 Square kilometres in 1990 and was at its lowest, 21,157 Square kilometres, in 2023.
Malawi ranks 94th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Land use hidden — Forest in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Square kilometres | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 35,017 Square kilometres | — |
| 1991 | 34,597 Square kilometres | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 34,177 Square kilometres | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 33,757 Square kilometres | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 33,337 Square kilometres | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 32,917 Square kilometres | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 32,497 Square kilometres | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 32,077 Square kilometres | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 31,657 Square kilometres | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 31,237 Square kilometres | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 30,817 Square kilometres | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 30,397 Square kilometres | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 29,977 Square kilometres | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 29,557 Square kilometres | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 29,137 Square kilometres | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 28,717 Square kilometres | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 28,297 Square kilometres | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 27,877 Square kilometres | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 27,457 Square kilometres | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 27,037 Square kilometres | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 26,617 Square kilometres | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 26,197 Square kilometres | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 25,777 Square kilometres | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 25,357 Square kilometres | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 24,937 Square kilometres | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 24,517 Square kilometres | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 24,097 Square kilometres | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 23,677 Square kilometres | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 23,257 Square kilometres | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 22,837 Square kilometres | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 22,417 Square kilometres | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 21,997 Square kilometres | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 21,577 Square kilometres | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 21,157 Square kilometres | -1.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 21,157 Square kilometres is below the median for low income countries, which is 23,449 Square kilometres, 90% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 21,157 Square kilometres is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 60,677 Square kilometres, 35% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 33,127 Square kilometres | 31,237 Square kilometres | 35,017 Square kilometres | 10 |
| 2000s | 28,927 Square kilometres | 27,037 Square kilometres | 30,817 Square kilometres | 10 |
| 2010s | 24,727 Square kilometres | 22,837 Square kilometres | 26,617 Square kilometres | 10 |
| 2020s | 21,787 Square kilometres | 21,157 Square kilometres | 22,417 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 — forest in Malawi?
- Land use hidden — forest in Malawi was 21,157 Square kilometres in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest land use hidden — forest recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 35,017 Square kilometres in 1990.
- What is the lowest land use hidden — forest recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 21,157 Square kilometres in 2023.
- How does Malawi rank for land use hidden — forest?
- Malawi ranks 94th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use hidden — forest rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 — Forest. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 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