Cassava production in Malawi
Malawi: Cassava production was 6.28 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
6.28 million tonnes
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
16th
of 101 countries
All-time high
6.28 million tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
80,739 tonnes
in 1970
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Cassava production in Malawi, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cassava production in Malawi is 6.28 million tonnes, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and up 23.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cassava production in Malawi peaked at 6.28 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 80,739 tonnes, in 1970.
Malawi ranks 16th of 101 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Cassava production in Malawi, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 147,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 147,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 136,000 tonnes | -7.5% |
| 1964 | 136,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 135,000 tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1966 | 138,000 tonnes | +2.2% |
| 1967 | 140,000 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1968 | 142,000 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1969 | 88,904 tonnes | -37.4% |
| 1970 | 80,739 tonnes | -9.2% |
| 1971 | 99,790 tonnes | +23.6% |
| 1972 | 138,798 tonnes | +39.1% |
| 1973 | 247,000 tonnes | +78.0% |
| 1974 | 254,000 tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1975 | 260,000 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1976 | 267,000 tonnes | +2.7% |
| 1977 | 273,000 tonnes | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 280,000 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1979 | 288,000 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 292,000 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 295,000 tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 296,000 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 143,686 tonnes | -51.5% |
| 1984 | 258,693 tonnes | +80.0% |
| 1985 | 209,321 tonnes | -19.1% |
| 1986 | 218,282 tonnes | +4.3% |
| 1987 | 169,403 tonnes | -22.4% |
| 1988 | 134,785 tonnes | -20.4% |
| 1989 | 154,762 tonnes | +14.8% |
| 1990 | 144,760 tonnes | -6.5% |
| 1991 | 167,818 tonnes | +15.9% |
| 1992 | 128,827 tonnes | -23.2% |
| 1993 | 216,005 tonnes | +67.7% |
| 1994 | 250,066 tonnes | +15.8% |
| 1995 | 328,424 tonnes | +31.3% |
| 1996 | 534,549 tonnes | +62.8% |
| 1997 | 720,261 tonnes | +34.7% |
| 1998 | 834,755 tonnes | +15.9% |
| 1999 | 906,430 tonnes | +8.6% |
| 2000 | 2.79 million tonnes | +208.3% |
| 2001 | 3.36 million tonnes | +20.3% |
| 2002 | 1.54 million tonnes | -54.2% |
| 2003 | 1.74 million tonnes | +12.7% |
| 2004 | 2.53 million tonnes | +45.9% |
| 2005 | 2.20 million tonnes | -13.2% |
| 2006 | 2.83 million tonnes | +28.9% |
| 2007 | 3.24 million tonnes | +14.4% |
| 2008 | 3.49 million tonnes | +7.8% |
| 2009 | 3.82 million tonnes | +9.5% |
| 2010 | 4.00 million tonnes | +4.6% |
| 2011 | 4.26 million tonnes | +6.5% |
| 2012 | 4.69 million tonnes | +10.2% |
| 2013 | 4.81 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 5.10 million tonnes | +6.0% |
| 2015 | 5.01 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 5.00 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 4.96 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 5.41 million tonnes | +9.1% |
| 2019 | 5.71 million tonnes | +5.5% |
| 2020 | 5.86 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 6.10 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 2022 | 6.19 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 6.20 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6.28 million tonnes | +1.3% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 6.28 million tonnes is above the median for low income countries, which is 1.26 million tonnes, 5.0× the median. (18 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 6.28 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.30 million tonnes, 4.8× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cassava production 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +208.3% | 906,430 tonnes | 2.79 million tonnes |
| 1984 | +80.0% | 143,686 tonnes | 258,693 tonnes |
| 1973 | +78.0% | 138,798 tonnes | 247,000 tonnes |
| 1993 | +67.7% | 128,827 tonnes | 216,005 tonnes |
| 1996 | +62.8% | 328,424 tonnes | 534,549 tonnes |
| 2002 | -54.2% | 3.36 million tonnes | 1.54 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 134,434 tonnes | 88,904 tonnes | 147,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 218,833 tonnes | 80,739 tonnes | 288,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 217,193 tonnes | 134,785 tonnes | 296,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 423,190 tonnes | 128,827 tonnes | 906,430 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.75 million tonnes | 1.54 million tonnes | 3.82 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.90 million tonnes | 4.00 million tonnes | 5.71 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.13 million tonnes | 5.86 million tonnes | 6.28 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More reference data data for Malawi
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1596 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3426 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5353 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.6012 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.87 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cassava production in Malawi?
- Cassava production in Malawi was 6.28 million tonnes in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cassava production recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 6.28 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest cassava production recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 80,739 tonnes in 1970.
- How does Malawi rank for cassava production?
- Malawi ranks 16th out of 101 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cassava production rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.1%. 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 (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Cassava production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Cassava production is measured in tonnes.