Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in Malawi
Malawi: Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty was 1,857 kg per hectare in 2023. ▲ Rising
Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in Malawi, 1990–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in kg per hectare.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in Malawi is 1,857 kg per hectare, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.5% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in Malawi peaked at 2,467 kg per hectare in 2007 and was at its lowest, 481.6 kg per hectare, in 1992.
That places Malawi 128th out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in Malawi, year by year
| Year | kg per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 991.5 kg per hectare | — |
| 1991 | 1,141 kg per hectare | +15.1% |
| 1992 | 481.6 kg per hectare | -57.8% |
| 1993 | 1,489 kg per hectare | +209.1% |
| 1994 | 896.4 kg per hectare | -39.8% |
| 1995 | 1,309 kg per hectare | +46.1% |
| 1996 | 1,391 kg per hectare | +6.2% |
| 1997 | 1,054 kg per hectare | -24.2% |
| 1998 | 1,322 kg per hectare | +25.4% |
| 1999 | 1,745 kg per hectare | +32.0% |
| 2000 | 1,676 kg per hectare | -4.0% |
| 2001 | 1,176 kg per hectare | -29.8% |
| 2002 | 1,046 kg per hectare | -11.0% |
| 2003 | 1,209 kg per hectare | +15.6% |
| 2004 | 1,021 kg per hectare | -15.6% |
| 2005 | 777.8 kg per hectare | -23.8% |
| 2006 | 1,445 kg per hectare | +85.7% |
| 2007 | 2,467 kg per hectare | +70.8% |
| 2008 | 1,599 kg per hectare | -35.2% |
| 2009 | 2,124 kg per hectare | +32.9% |
| 2010 | 1,907 kg per hectare | -10.2% |
| 2011 | 2,094 kg per hectare | +9.8% |
| 2012 | 2,087 kg per hectare | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 2,069 kg per hectare | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 2,218 kg per hectare | +7.2% |
| 2015 | 1,591 kg per hectare | -28.3% |
| 2016 | 1,347 kg per hectare | -15.3% |
| 2017 | 1,903 kg per hectare | +41.2% |
| 2018 | 1,531 kg per hectare | -19.5% |
| 2019 | 1,874 kg per hectare | +22.4% |
| 2020 | 2,004 kg per hectare | +7.0% |
| 2021 | 2,319 kg per hectare | +15.7% |
| 2022 | 1,944 kg per hectare | -16.2% |
| 2023 | 1,857 kg per hectare | -4.5% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 1,857 kg per hectare is above the median for low income countries, which is 1,163 kg per hectare, 1.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 1,857 kg per hectare is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,342 kg per hectare, 1.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +209.1% | 481.6 kg per hectare | 1,489 kg per hectare |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1,182 kg per hectare | 481.6 kg per hectare | 1,745 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,454 kg per hectare | 777.8 kg per hectare | 2,467 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,862 kg per hectare | 1,347 kg per hectare | 2,218 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,031 kg per hectare | 1,857 kg per hectare | 2,319 kg per hectare | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More poverty & inequality data for Malawi
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 2 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 3.65 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -4.49 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 15.06 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 15.1% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, annual growth rate 11.53 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in Malawi?
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in Malawi was 1,857 kg per hectare in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 2,467 kg per hectare in 2007.
- What is the lowest cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 481.6 kg per hectare in 1992.
- How does Malawi rank for cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Malawi ranks 128th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Extreme poverty is defined as living below the International Poverty Line of $3 per day. This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.