Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area in Malawi
Malawi: Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area was 3.44 kg/ha in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area in Malawi, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kg/ha.
Analysis
The most recent figure for nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area in Malawi is 3.44 kg/ha, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 131.6% on the previous year and up 383.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area in Malawi peaked at 3.44 kg/ha in 2023 and was at its lowest, -3.75 kg/ha, in 2014.
That places Malawi 83rd out of 186 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area in Malawi, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | -1.97 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | -2.13 kg/ha | +8.2% |
| 1963 | -1.75 kg/ha | -17.8% |
| 1964 | -2.04 kg/ha | +16.5% |
| 1965 | -1.89 kg/ha | -7.6% |
| 1966 | -1.9 kg/ha | +0.6% |
| 1967 | -2.53 kg/ha | +33.2% |
| 1968 | -2.08 kg/ha | -17.7% |
| 1969 | -1.98 kg/ha | -4.7% |
| 1970 | -1.75 kg/ha | -11.8% |
| 1971 | -2.02 kg/ha | +15.4% |
| 1972 | -2.28 kg/ha | +13.0% |
| 1973 | -2.1 kg/ha | -8.1% |
| 1974 | -2.37 kg/ha | +13.0% |
| 1975 | -2.27 kg/ha | -4.4% |
| 1976 | -1.89 kg/ha | -16.7% |
| 1977 | -1.9 kg/ha | +0.6% |
| 1978 | -1.82 kg/ha | -4.2% |
| 1979 | -1.87 kg/ha | +3.0% |
| 1980 | -1.38 kg/ha | -26.2% |
| 1981 | -1.75 kg/ha | +26.7% |
| 1982 | -1.85 kg/ha | +5.5% |
| 1983 | -0.1082 kg/ha | -94.1% |
| 1984 | 0.3951 kg/ha | -465.2% |
| 1985 | -1.22 kg/ha | -409.5% |
| 1986 | -0.9662 kg/ha | -21.0% |
| 1987 | -0.2572 kg/ha | -73.4% |
| 1988 | 0.528 kg/ha | -305.3% |
| 1989 | 0.6137 kg/ha | +16.2% |
| 1990 | -0.1833 kg/ha | -129.9% |
| 1991 | -0.2014 kg/ha | +9.9% |
| 1992 | 0.9873 kg/ha | -590.2% |
| 1993 | 0.1937 kg/ha | -80.4% |
| 1994 | -0.9023 kg/ha | -565.8% |
| 1995 | -1.31 kg/ha | +45.0% |
| 1996 | -1.13 kg/ha | -13.4% |
| 1997 | -0.6246 kg/ha | -44.8% |
| 1998 | -1.31 kg/ha | +110.2% |
| 1999 | -1.37 kg/ha | +4.7% |
| 2000 | -2.35 kg/ha | +70.7% |
| 2001 | -2.85 kg/ha | +21.3% |
| 2002 | -0.3258 kg/ha | -88.5% |
| 2003 | -0.6642 kg/ha | +103.9% |
| 2004 | 0.0777 kg/ha | -111.7% |
| 2005 | 0.3476 kg/ha | +347.4% |
| 2006 | -0.9355 kg/ha | -369.1% |
| 2007 | -1.36 kg/ha | +44.9% |
| 2008 | -2.15 kg/ha | +58.9% |
| 2009 | -2.07 kg/ha | -3.7% |
| 2010 | -1.75 kg/ha | -15.4% |
| 2011 | -2.36 kg/ha | +34.7% |
| 2012 | -1.85 kg/ha | -21.6% |
| 2013 | -1.21 kg/ha | -34.6% |
| 2014 | -3.75 kg/ha | +209.0% |
| 2015 | -0.3048 kg/ha | -91.9% |
| 2016 | -1.02 kg/ha | +234.6% |
| 2017 | -1.09 kg/ha | +6.9% |
| 2018 | 1.4 kg/ha | -228.1% |
| 2019 | 2.49 kg/ha | +78.1% |
| 2020 | 2.98 kg/ha | +19.9% |
| 2021 | 2.35 kg/ha | -21.1% |
| 2022 | 1.49 kg/ha | -36.9% |
| 2023 | 3.44 kg/ha | +131.6% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 3.44 kg/ha is above the median for low income countries, which is -0.4938 kg/ha. (21 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 3.44 kg/ha is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -0.3837 kg/ha. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | +590.2% | -0.2014 kg/ha | 0.9873 kg/ha |
| 1994 | -565.8% | 0.1937 kg/ha | -0.9023 kg/ha |
| 1984 | +465.2% | -0.1082 kg/ha | 0.3951 kg/ha |
| 1985 | -409.5% | 0.3951 kg/ha | -1.22 kg/ha |
| 2006 | -369.1% | 0.3476 kg/ha | -0.9355 kg/ha |
| 2005 | +347.4% | 0.0777 kg/ha | 0.3476 kg/ha |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -2.03 kg/ha | -2.53 kg/ha | -1.75 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | -2.03 kg/ha | -2.37 kg/ha | -1.75 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.6 kg/ha | -1.85 kg/ha | 0.6137 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.5858 kg/ha | -1.37 kg/ha | 0.9873 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | -1.23 kg/ha | -2.85 kg/ha | 0.3476 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.9464 kg/ha | -3.75 kg/ha | 2.49 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.57 kg/ha | 1.49 kg/ha | 3.44 kg/ha | 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 nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area in Malawi?
- Nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area in Malawi was 3.44 kg/ha in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 3.44 kg/ha in 2023.
- What is the lowest nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was -3.75 kg/ha in 2014.
- How does Malawi rank for nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area?
- Malawi ranks 83rd out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 383.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 phosphorus per unit area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
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 (%).