Pesticide use in Malaysia

Malaysia: Pesticide use was 30,123 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
30,123 tonnes
Change on year
up 17.6%
World rank
22nd
of 211 countries
All-time high
67,329 tonnes
in 2016
All-time low
23,818 tonnes
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Pesticide use in Malaysia, 1990–2023

020.0k40.0k60.0k1990200620231990: 23.8k tonnes1991: 23.9k tonnes1992: 24.7k tonnes1993: 26.7k tonnes1994: 26.8k tonnes1995: 27.6k tonnes1996: 28.1k tonnes1997: 28.6k tonnes1998: 27.1k tonnes1999: 29.3k tonnes2000: 30.2k tonnes2001: 31.0k tonnes2002: 31.6k tonnes2003: 34.0k tonnes2004: 36.0k tonnes2005: 37.6k tonnes2006: 39.4k tonnes2007: 46.9k tonnes2008: 54.8k tonnes2009: 52.5k tonnes2010: 60.2k tonnes2011: 41.6k tonnes2012: 49.8k tonnes2013: 61.4k tonnes2014: 49.2k tonnes2015: 63.3k tonnes2016: 67.3k tonnes2017: 50.8k tonnes2018: 44.1k tonnes2019: 47.8k tonnes2020: 36.1k tonnes2021: 45.7k tonnes2022: 25.6k tonnes2023: 30.1k tonnes

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 19 Philippines 37,660 tonnes compare
  2. 20 Mexico 37,298 tonnes compare
  3. 21 Ecuador 35,220 tonnes compare
  4. 23 Pakistan 26,702 tonnes compare
  5. 24 South Korea 20,402 tonnes compare
  6. 25 Poland 19,963 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 211 places →

More reference data data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

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

Indicator
Pesticide use
Unit
tonnes
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
211 places, 7,015 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

Total pesticide use measured in tonnes of pesticide consumption per year.