Pesticide use in Malaysia
Malaysia: Pesticide use was 30,123 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Pesticide 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
In 2023, pesticide use in Malaysia stood at 30,123 tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 17.6% on the previous year and down 51.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, pesticide use in Malaysia peaked at 67,329 tonnes in 2016 and was at its lowest, 23,818 tonnes, in 1990.
That places Malaysia 22nd 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.
Pesticide use in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 23,818 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 23,888 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 24,701 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 26,702 tonnes | +8.1% |
| 1994 | 26,776 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 27,591 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1996 | 28,063 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 28,601 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 27,144 tonnes | -5.1% |
| 1999 | 29,261 tonnes | +7.8% |
| 2000 | 30,206 tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2001 | 30,979 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 31,621 tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 34,047 tonnes | +7.7% |
| 2004 | 36,017 tonnes | +5.8% |
| 2005 | 37,579 tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2006 | 39,408 tonnes | +4.9% |
| 2007 | 46,870 tonnes | +18.9% |
| 2008 | 54,823 tonnes | +17.0% |
| 2009 | 52,466 tonnes | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 60,196 tonnes | +14.7% |
| 2011 | 41,564 tonnes | -31.0% |
| 2012 | 49,810 tonnes | +19.8% |
| 2013 | 61,446 tonnes | +23.4% |
| 2014 | 49,199 tonnes | -19.9% |
| 2015 | 63,308 tonnes | +28.7% |
| 2016 | 67,329 tonnes | +6.4% |
| 2017 | 50,762 tonnes | -24.6% |
| 2018 | 44,114 tonnes | -13.1% |
| 2019 | 47,805 tonnes | +8.4% |
| 2020 | 36,077 tonnes | -24.5% |
| 2021 | 45,671 tonnes | +26.6% |
| 2022 | 25,609 tonnes | -43.9% |
| 2023 | 30,123 tonnes | +17.6% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 30,123 tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2,066 tonnes, 14.6× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 30,123 tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 287 tonnes, 105.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Pesticide 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -43.9% | 45,671 tonnes | 25,609 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26,654 tonnes | 23,818 tonnes | 29,261 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 39,402 tonnes | 30,206 tonnes | 54,823 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 53,553 tonnes | 41,564 tonnes | 67,329 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 34,370 tonnes | 25,609 tonnes | 45,671 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 pesticide use in Malaysia?
- Pesticide use in Malaysia was 30,123 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 pesticide use recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 67,329 tonnes in 2016.
- What is the lowest pesticide use recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 23,818 tonnes in 1990.
- How does Malaysia rank for pesticide use?
- Malaysia ranks 22nd out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is pesticide use rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 51.0%. 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 Pesticide 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
Total pesticide use measured in tonnes of pesticide consumption per year.