Environment
Malawi
Climate
sub-tropical; wet season (November through May); dry season (May through November)
Land use
other
13.4% (2023 est.)
forest
22.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
64.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 42.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 2.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 19.6% (2023 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
18.3% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
4.41% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Waste and recycling
municipal solid waste generated annually
1.298 million tons (2024 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled
9.6% (2022 est.)
Environmental issues
deforestation; land degradation; water contamination due to agricultural runoff, sewage, and industrial waste; siltation of fish breeding areas; elevated temperatures and shifting precipitation trends
Total water withdrawal
municipal
143.1 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
industrial
47.7 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
agricultural
1.166 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
total emissions
2.265 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke
65,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids
2.2 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Particulate matter emissions
18.5 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Total renewable water resources
17.28 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
International environmental agreements
party to
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified
none of the selected agreements