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

020406080100196619952024

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 7 Somalia 93.7% compare
  2. 8 Greenland 92.3% compare
  3. 9 Gambia 90.7% compare
  4. 11 Palau 88.7% compare
  5. 12 Comoros 88.5% compare
  6. 13 Faroe Islands 88.0% compare

See the full ranking of 196 places →

More economy & growth data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

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

Indicator
Share of food products in total merchandise exports
Unit
% of merchandise exports
Source
UN Comtrade, WITS, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
196 places, 7,959 data points, 1962–2025
Last refreshed

Value of food exports divided by the total value of merchandise exports, expressed as a percentage.