Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Malawi

Malawi: Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency was 39.32 % in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
39.32 %
Change on year
down 28.0%
World rank
124th
of 186 countries
All-time high
82.52 %
in 2001
All-time low
38.03 %
in 1992
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Malawi, 1961–2023

020406080196119922023

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.

Analysis

Malawi recorded 39.32 % for nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 28.0% on the previous year and down 38.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Malawi peaked at 82.52 % in 2001 and was at its lowest, 38.03 %, in 1992.

Malawi ranks 124th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.

Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Malawi, year by year

Annual values for Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Malawi, 1961 to 2023.
Year % Change
1961 61.69 % —
1962 62.57 % +1.4%
1963 56.55 % -9.6%
1964 60.59 % +7.2%
1965 59.01 % -2.6%
1966 60.79 % +3.0%
1967 67.18 % +10.5%
1968 61.43 % -8.6%
1969 59.67 % -2.9%
1970 52.92 % -11.3%
1971 59.61 % +12.6%
1972 61.68 % +3.5%
1973 60.16 % -2.5%
1974 65.03 % +8.1%
1975 56.66 % -12.9%
1976 54.58 % -3.7%
1977 64.98 % +19.1%
1978 58.99 % -9.2%
1979 64.05 % +8.6%
1980 54.73 % -14.6%
1981 54.78 % +0.1%
1982 58.91 % +7.5%
1983 60.66 % +3.0%
1984 63.1 % +4.0%
1985 71.04 % +12.6%
1986 59.73 % -15.9%
1987 50.68 % -15.1%
1988 58.5 % +15.4%
1989 59.76 % +2.2%
1990 61.07 % +2.2%
1991 56.71 % -7.1%
1992 38.03 % -32.9%
1993 60.63 % +59.4%
1994 77.73 % +28.2%
1995 73.02 % -6.1%
1996 69.08 % -5.4%
1997 54.94 % -20.5%
1998 63.29 % +15.2%
1999 75.74 % +19.7%
2000 77.19 % +1.9%
2001 82.52 % +6.9%
2002 49.75 % -39.7%
2003 52.14 % +4.8%
2004 48.19 % -7.6%
2005 43.12 % -10.5%
2006 53.27 % +23.6%
2007 57.02 % +7.0%
2008 49.91 % -12.5%
2009 64.14 % +28.5%
2010 52.43 % -18.3%
2011 55.86 % +6.6%
2012 64.63 % +15.7%
2013 63.94 % -1.1%
2014 57.08 % -10.7%
2015 50.6 % -11.3%
2016 54.79 % +8.3%
2017 55.58 % +1.4%
2018 46.55 % -16.3%
2019 49.96 % +7.3%
2020 44.99 % -10.0%
2021 51.78 % +15.1%
2022 54.57 % +5.4%
2023 39.32 % -28.0%

Malawi compared with similar countries

  • Malawi's 39.32 % is below the median for low income countries, which is 60.42 %, 65% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
  • Malawi's 39.32 % is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 62.99 %, 62% of the median. (43 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 61.05 % 56.55 % 67.18 % 9
1970s 59.87 % 52.92 % 65.03 % 10
1980s 59.19 % 50.68 % 71.04 % 10
1990s 63.02 % 38.03 % 77.73 % 10
2000s 57.72 % 43.12 % 82.52 % 10
2010s 55.14 % 46.55 % 64.63 % 10
2020s 47.66 % 39.32 % 54.57 % 4

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 121 Sweden 40.97 % compare
  2. 122 Bangladesh 40.27 % compare
  3. 123 Ecuador 39.4 % compare
  4. 125 Thailand 39.22 % compare
  5. 126 Colombia 39.12 % compare
  6. 127 South Sudan 38.9 % compare

See the full ranking of 233 places →

More environment data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Malawi?
Nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Malawi was 39.32 % in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 82.52 % in 2001.
What is the lowest nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 38.03 % in 1992.
How does Malawi rank for nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency?
Malawi ranks 124th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
Is nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is down 38.5%. 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, published as part of Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Malawi. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 27 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/nutrient-balance-cropland-nitrogen-use-efficiency/malawi/

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About this data

Indicator
Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
233 places, 13,500 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

The Cropland Nutrient balance domain contains information on the flows of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium from mineral fertilizer, manure applied, atmospheric deposition, crop removal, and biological fixation over cropland and per unit area of cropland. The flows are aggregated to total inputs and total outputs, from which the overall nutrient balance and nutrient use efficiency on cropland are calculated. Statistics are disseminated in units of tonnes and in kg/ha, as appropriate. Nutrient use efficiency is expressed as a fraction (%).