Share of food products in total merchandise exports in Malawi
Malawi: Share of food products in total merchandise exports was 90.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
90.2%
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
10th
of 196 countries
All-time high
96.0%
in 1984
All-time low
75.2%
in 2014
Years of data
55
1966–2024
Share of food products in total merchandise exports in Malawi, 1966–2024
Source: UN Comtrade, WITS, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of merchandise exports.
Analysis
In 2024, share of food products in total merchandise exports in Malawi stood at 90.2%.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 19.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of food products in total merchandise exports in Malawi peaked at 96.0% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 75.2%, in 2014.
That places Malawi 10th out of 196 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Share of food products in total merchandise exports in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise exports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 89.8% | — |
| 1967 | 93.6% | +4.2% |
| 1968 | 92.8% | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 91.2% | -1.7% |
| 1970 | 88.2% | -3.3% |
| 1971 | 91.3% | +3.5% |
| 1972 | 91.9% | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 92.7% | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 91.4% | -1.4% |
| 1975 | 92.4% | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 94.2% | +1.9% |
| 1977 | 94.3% | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 94.9% | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 94.6% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 90.9% | -3.9% |
| 1981 | 91.1% | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 93.9% | +3.1% |
| 1983 | 95.5% | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 96.0% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 91.2% | -5.1% |
| 1986 | 94.3% | +3.5% |
| 1987 | 93.5% | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 92.9% | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 93.5% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 86.0% | -8.1% |
| 1995 | 90.4% | +5.1% |
| 1996 | 86.8% | -3.9% |
| 1997 | 86.9% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 91.5% | +5.4% |
| 1999 | 88.9% | -2.9% |
| 2000 | 89.2% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 86.9% | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 85.1% | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 86.2% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 78.2% | -9.3% |
| 2005 | 79.5% | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 82.9% | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 85.6% | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 85.8% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 86.7% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 77.8% | -10.3% |
| 2011 | 75.7% | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 75.6% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 76.0% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 75.2% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 81.1% | +7.8% |
| 2016 | 83.6% | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 91.0% | +8.8% |
| 2018 | 91.3% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 91.5% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 91.9% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 89.8% | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 85.1% | -5.2% |
| 2023 | 89.2% | +4.8% |
| 2024 | 90.2% | +1.1% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 90.2% is above the median for low income countries, which is 34.9%, 2.6× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 90.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 27.6%, 3.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 91.9% | 89.8% | 93.6% | 4 |
| 1970s | 92.6% | 88.2% | 94.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 93.3% | 90.9% | 96.0% | 8 |
| 1990s | 89.6% | 86.0% | 93.5% | 8 |
| 2000s | 84.6% | 78.2% | 89.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.9% | 75.2% | 91.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 89.2% | 85.1% | 91.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More economy & growth data for Malawi
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.07 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.6 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 56.42 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.005 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 2.61 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 257.97 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 20.57 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0228 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 11.91 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate -29.8 % change on previous year (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of food products in total merchandise exports in Malawi?
- Share of food products in total merchandise exports in Malawi was 90.2% in 2024, according to UN Comtrade, WITS, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of food products in total merchandise exports recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 96.0% in 1984.
- What is the lowest share of food products in total merchandise exports recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 75.2% in 2014.
- How does Malawi rank for share of food products in total merchandise exports?
- Malawi ranks 10th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of food products in total merchandise exports rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from UN Comtrade, WITS, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of food products in total merchandise exports. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Value of food exports divided by the total value of merchandise exports, expressed as a percentage.