Insecticide use in Malaysia
Malaysia: Insecticide use was 7,600 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Insecticide use in Malaysia, 1990–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 7,600 tonnes for insecticide use in 2023.
That represents a change of up 76.0% on the previous year and up 51.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, insecticide use in Malaysia peaked at 15,394 tonnes in 2010 and was at its lowest, 3,402 tonnes, in 2018.
That places Malaysia 18th out of 211 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Insecticide use in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 3,764 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 3,775 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 3,904 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 4,220 tonnes | +8.1% |
| 1994 | 4,231 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 4,360 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1996 | 4,435 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 4,520 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 4,290 tonnes | -5.1% |
| 1999 | 4,624 tonnes | +7.8% |
| 2000 | 4,773 tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2001 | 4,896 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 4,997 tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 5,381 tonnes | +7.7% |
| 2004 | 5,692 tonnes | +5.8% |
| 2005 | 5,939 tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2006 | 6,528 tonnes | +9.9% |
| 2007 | 7,767 tonnes | +19.0% |
| 2008 | 12,027 tonnes | +54.8% |
| 2009 | 14,698 tonnes | +22.2% |
| 2010 | 15,394 tonnes | +4.7% |
| 2011 | 7,349 tonnes | -52.3% |
| 2012 | 4,103 tonnes | -44.2% |
| 2013 | 5,008 tonnes | +22.1% |
| 2014 | 3,873 tonnes | -22.7% |
| 2015 | 5,029 tonnes | +29.8% |
| 2016 | 5,439 tonnes | +8.2% |
| 2017 | 4,206 tonnes | -22.7% |
| 2018 | 3,402 tonnes | -19.1% |
| 2019 | 4,275 tonnes | +25.7% |
| 2020 | 4,623 tonnes | +8.1% |
| 2021 | 7,309 tonnes | +58.1% |
| 2022 | 4,318 tonnes | -40.9% |
| 2023 | 7,600 tonnes | +76.0% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 7,600 tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 339.5 tonnes, 22.4× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 7,600 tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 22 tonnes, 345.5× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Insecticide use in Malaysia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +76.0% | 4,318 tonnes | 7,600 tonnes |
| 2011 | -52.3% | 15,394 tonnes | 7,349 tonnes |
| 2021 | +58.1% | 4,623 tonnes | 7,309 tonnes |
| 2008 | +54.8% | 7,767 tonnes | 12,027 tonnes |
| 2012 | -44.2% | 7,349 tonnes | 4,103 tonnes |
| 2022 | -40.9% | 7,309 tonnes | 4,318 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4,212 tonnes | 3,764 tonnes | 4,624 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 7,270 tonnes | 4,773 tonnes | 14,698 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 5,808 tonnes | 3,402 tonnes | 15,394 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,962 tonnes | 4,318 tonnes | 7,600 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More reference data data for Malaysia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7102 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5869 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1487 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.8098 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is insecticide use in Malaysia?
- Insecticide use in Malaysia was 7,600 tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest insecticide use recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 15,394 tonnes in 2010.
- What is the lowest insecticide use recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,402 tonnes in 2018.
- How does Malaysia rank for insecticide use?
- Malaysia ranks 18th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is insecticide use rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 51.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia 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 Insecticide use. 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
Annual quantity of insecticides used in agriculture, measured as the tonnes of active ingredient per year.