Skip to content
Nations Inquiry — home
The Bharat Tea Plantation near Tanah Rata in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia.

Photo: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

Food & Agriculture

joint86th

of 184 countries placed

Placed from 4 of 4 key statistics

01The evidence

The 4 key statistics that decide it

Only these place Malaysia on food & agriculture — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.

Why these keys
  1. Key 1 of 4

    Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy)

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Why it is a key

    2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0

    3.5

    Current status score, from 1 (worst) to 5 (best), averaged over up to seven sub-indicators

    Higher is better

    Malaysia: 3.5. Across the 186 countries in this edition, values run from 1.67 (Tuvalu) to 4.57 (Italy); the world median is 3.14.

    World median
    3.14
    Best in South-eastern Asia
    3.67 Singapore
    Land neighbours
    Brunei 3.14 · Indonesia 3.29 · Thailand 2.86
  2. Key 2 of 4

    Cereal Yield

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Why it is a key

    2023 edition · data for 2023 · CC BY 4.0

    3,524

    Cereal yield (kg per hectare)

    Higher is better

    Malaysia: 3,524. Across the 179 countries in this edition, values run from 23 (Cabo Verde) to 29,147 (Oman); the world median is 3,072.

    World median
    3,072
    Best in South-eastern Asia
    5,995 Vietnam
    Land neighbours
    Brunei 2,467 · Indonesia 5,829 · Thailand 3,072
  3. Key 3 of 4

    Dietary Energy Supply

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Why it is a key

    2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0

    2,975

    Dietary energy supply (kcal per person per day)

    Higher is better

    Malaysia: 2,975. Across the 155 countries in this edition, values run from 1,757 (Somalia) to 3,962 (United States); the world median is 2,982.

    World median
    2,982
    Best in South-eastern Asia
    3,015 Vietnam
    Land neighbours
    Indonesia 2,915 · Thailand 2,815
  4. Key 4 of 4

    Agriculture Orientation Index

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Why it is a key

    2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0

    0.22

    Agriculture orientation index (1.0 = spending matches sector size)

    Higher is better

    Malaysia: 0.22. Across the 132 countries in this edition, values run from 0.03 (Ghana) to 5.38 (Singapore); the world median is 0.305.

    World median
    0.305
    Best in South-eastern Asia
    5.38 Singapore
    Land neighbours
    Brunei 0.64 · Indonesia 0.21 · Thailand 0.54

03In context

Malaysia beside its neighbours

A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 184 countries on food & agriculture, never a place within the region.

South-eastern Asia
1st184thNot placed · 40 countries with too few key statisticsNo data

The whole world on food & agriculture

Malaysia and the countries it borders

Standing among all 184; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.

CountryStandingProgress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy)Current status score, from 1 (worst) to 5 (best), averaged over up to seven sub-indicatorsCereal YieldCereal yield (kg per hectare)Dietary Energy SupplyDietary energy supply (kcal per person per day)Agriculture Orientation IndexAgriculture orientation index (1.0 = spending matches sector size)
Brunei=73rd3.142,467—0.64
Indonesiacompare83rd3.295,8292,9150.21
Malaysia=86th3.53,5242,9750.22
Thailand=95th2.863,0722,8150.54

“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is

Placed either side on food & agriculture

The countries immediately above and below Malaysia in the topic’s list.

04Context, no vote

Where Malaysia is ahead of the world, and behind

28 more statistics filed under food & agriculture, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.

Every country

Ahead of the world median4

Statistics on which Malaysia does better than the middle country measured.

  • Agricultural Emissions IntensityFAO · 2023 · world median 1.5650.58No real change since 2013

    Malaysia: 0.58 · world median 1.565 · Greenhouse gases from farming per value of agricultural output (kg CO₂eq per international dollar). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 28.2; lower is better.

    Position 171st of 190 · derived, 1st = worst.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Prevalence of UndernourishmentFAO · 2023 · world median 5.22.5▲ Improved since 2013

    Malaysia: 2.5 · world median 5.2 · Population undernourished (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 2.5 to 54.2; lower is better.

    Position 104th of 104 · derived, 1st = worst.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added per WorkerWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 6,74216,359▼ Worsened since 2015

    Malaysia: 16,359 · world median 6,742 · Agricultural value added per worker (constant 2015 US$). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 210.77 to 150,632; higher is better.

    Position 48th of 151 · derived.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Share of Dietary Energy Supply from Cereals, Roots and TubersFAO · 2022 · world median 4139▲ Improved since 2012

    Malaysia: 39 · world median 41 · Share of dietary energy supply from cereals, roots and tubers (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from 21 to 82; lower is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

Behind the world median8

Statistics on which Malaysia does worse than the middle country measured.

  • Per Capita Food Supply VariabilityFAO · 2024 · world median 2930▼ Worsened since 2014

    Malaysia: 30 · world median 29 · Year-to-year variability of the food supply (kcal per person per day). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 4 to 227; lower is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Prevalence of Severe Food InsecurityFAO · 2024 · world median 4.95.2▲ Improved since 2015

    Malaysia: 5.2 · world median 4.9 · Population in severe food insecurity (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.6 to 62.9; lower is better.

    Position 57th of 119 · derived, 1st = worst.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Food Production IndexFAO · 2022 · world median 106.08102.8▲ Improved since 2012

    Malaysia: 102.8 · world median 106.08 · Food production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from 71.08 to 177.49; higher is better.

    Position 115th of 195 · derived.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

  • Vegetable Supply per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 102.6964.9▼ Worsened since 2013

    Malaysia: 64.9 · world median 102.69 · Vegetables available as food (kg per person per year). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 6.89 to 412.72; higher is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Crop Production IndexFAO · 2022 · world median 106.2397.93▼ Worsened since 2012

    Malaysia: 97.93 · world median 106.23 · Crop production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from 53.79 to 189.93; higher is better.

    Position 140th of 195 · derived.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

  • Fruit Supply per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 84.8359.99▲ Improved since 2013

    Malaysia: 59.99 · world median 84.83 · Fruit available as food, excluding wine (kg per person per year). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 4.27 to 379.63; higher is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Livestock Production IndexFAO · 2022 · world median 107.0699.69▲ Improved since 2012

    Malaysia: 99.69 · world median 107.06 · Livestock production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from 35.52 to 190.08; higher is better.

    Position 142nd of 194 · derived.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

  • Organic Agricultural AreaFAO · 2024 · world median 0.7250▼ Worsened since 2014

    Malaysia: 0 · world median 0.725 · Organic share of agricultural land (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 86.38; higher is better.

    Position 150th of 150 · derived.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

No better end16

These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.

  • Fertilizer Consumption per HectareFAO · 2023 · world median 87.362,926No real change since 2013

    Malaysia: 2,926 · world median 87.36 · Fertilizer consumption (kg per hectare of arable land). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 2,926.

    Position 1st of 188 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Fish and Seafood Supply per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 16.1751.03Moved since 2013

    Malaysia: 51.03 · world median 16.17 · Fish and seafood available as food (kg per person per year, live-weight equivalent). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.38 to 83.81.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Fisheries and Aquaculture ProductionFAO · 2024 · world median 52,3751,696,732No real change since 2014

    Malaysia: 1,696,732 · world median 52,375 · Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic animals caught or farmed, tonnes (live weight). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 70,500,841.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Agricultural EmissionsFAO · 2023 · world median 8,63545,687No real change since 2013

    Malaysia: 45,687 · world median 8,635 · Farm-gate emissions (kt CO₂eq). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 1,044,508.

    Position 36th of 193 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Cereal Import Dependency RatioFAO · 2022 · world median 42.878.1Moved since 2012

    Malaysia: 78.1 · world median 42.8 · Share of the cereal supply that is imported (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from -1,894 to 100.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

  • Meat Supply per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 57.8369.07Moved since 2013

    Malaysia: 69.07 · world median 57.83 · Meat available as food (kg per person per year, carcass weight). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 3.49 to 156.95.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Pesticide Use per HectareFAO · 2024 · world median 1.732.73Moved since 2014

    Malaysia: 2.73 · world median 1.73 · Pesticide use (kg per hectare of cropland). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 37.72.

    Position 75th of 178 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Agricultural Irrigated LandFAO · 2023 · world median 3.665.157No earlier reading

    Malaysia: 5.157 · world median 3.66 · Irrigated share of agricultural land (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.003 to 89.04.

    Position 51st of 121 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 2025 · world median 6.5728.216No real change since 2015

    Malaysia: 8.216 · world median 6.572 · Agriculture, forestry and fishing value added (% of GDP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.025 to 47.59.

    Position 69th of 158 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Land Under Cereal ProductionFAO · 2023 · world median 689,278615,072No real change since 2013

    Malaysia: 615,072 · world median 689,278 · Land under cereal production (hectares). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 103,715,108.

    Position 93rd of 179 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Livestock DensityFAO · 2023 · world median 0.5350.47Moved since 2013

    Malaysia: 0.47 · world median 0.535 · Livestock units per hectare of agricultural land. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.02 to 43.97.

    Position 104th of 188 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Employment in AgricultureILO · 2025 · world median 14.389.182No real change since 2015

    Malaysia: 9.182 · world median 14.38 · Employment in agriculture (% of total employment). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.095 to 85.34.

    Position 110th of 182 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Water Withdrawal by SectorFAO · 2022 · world median 62.1445.65No real change since 2012

    Malaysia: 45.65 · world median 62.14 · Freshwater withdrawn for agriculture (% of total). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 99.48.

    Position 106th of 171 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

  • Agricultural LandFAO · 2023 · world median 37.9626.09No real change since 2013

    Malaysia: 26.09 · world median 37.96 · Agricultural land (% of land area). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.445 to 86.48.

    Position 134th of 209 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Cropland Nitrogen BalanceFAO · 2023 · world median 37.6315.48Moved since 2013

    Malaysia: 15.48 · world median 37.63 · Nitrogen surplus (+) or deficit (−) on cropland, kg per hectare. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from -555.52 to 1,199.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Arable Land per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 0.1090.022No real change since 2013

    Malaysia: 0.022 · world median 0.109 · Arable land (hectares per person). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 1.459.

    Position 169th of 206 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

No current reading for Malaysia

Global Report on Food Crises, Legal Guarantees of Women's Equal Rights to Land and Women's Share of Agricultural Landowners. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.

“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing

06The top of the list

Who leads on food & agriculture

The three countries placed highest of 184, and the leaders Malaysia can most readily be measured against.

All 184 countries
  1. 1

    Serbia

    Southern Europe

    1st of 184 · 4 of 4 keys

    Photo: Lošmi derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale

  2. 2

    Austria

    Western Europe

    2nd of 184 · 4 of 4 keys

    Photo: chensiyuan · CC BY-SA 4.0, greyscale

  3. 3

    Malta

    Southern Europe

    3rd of 184 · 3 of 4 keys

    Photo: Dirk Heldmaier derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale

Placed highest nearby

  1. Highest in Asia

    Japan5th2/4 keys
  2. Highest in South-eastern Asia

    Singapore8th2/4 keys
  3. This page

    Malaysia=86th4/4 keys

Positions out of 184 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.

07Questions

Malaysia on food & agriculture: questions answered

Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.

How does Malaysia rank on food & agriculture?

Malaysia is placed joint 86th of 184 countries on Food & Agriculture in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics (Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy), Cereal Yield, Dietary Energy Supply and Agriculture Orientation Index). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.

What is the latest Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy) figure for Malaysia?

3.5 in 2024 (current status score, from 1 (worst) to 5 (best), averaged over up to seven sub-indicators), according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The world median in the same edition was 3.14.

What is the latest Cereal Yield figure for Malaysia?

3,524 in 2023 (cereal yield (kg per hectare)), according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The world median in the same edition was 3,072.

How does Malaysia compare with Indonesia on food & agriculture?

Indonesia is placed 83rd of 184, and Malaysia joint 86th. Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy): Indonesia 3.29, Malaysia 3.5; Cereal Yield: Indonesia 5,829, Malaysia 3,524; Dietary Energy Supply: Indonesia 2,915, Malaysia 2,975; Agriculture Orientation Index: Indonesia 0.21, Malaysia 0.22.

How have Malaysia’s food & agriculture figures changed?

Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy) fell from 3.67 in 2015 to 3.5 in 2024; Cereal Yield rose from 3,064 in 2000 to 3,524 in 2023; Dietary Energy Supply rose from 2,837 in 2001 to 2,975 in 2024; Agriculture Orientation Index fell from 0.36 in 2001 to 0.22 in 2024.

Which food & agriculture statistics are missing for Malaysia?

No current reading is published for Malaysia on Global Report on Food Crises, Legal Guarantees of Women's Equal Rights to Land and Women's Share of Agricultural Landowners. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.

08Method

Method, sources and how to cite

What this topic does not measure

This subject is about production and land use, not about whether people are fed. Hunger, undernourishment and what a population actually eats are measured under Health & Wellbeing, and the two regularly disagree — a country can grow a great deal and still leave many people short, and one that grows little can be well fed by trade. The wider environmental cost of farming — emissions, water withdrawal, forest cover — is filed under Environment & Sustainability.

About food & agriculture, in full

How the Food & Agriculture standing is decided

A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 4 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 4 keys to be placed.

The food & agriculture method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built

The key statistics and their licences

The other 28 statistics on this page come from 3 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.

The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photographs

Malaysia’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.

Cite this page

Nations Inquiry (2026). Malaysia: Food & Agriculture — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/malaysia/food

Feedback

Feedback

How are we doing?

Two answers are required — a rating and your email. The rest is up to you.