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Malawi · data for latest available · data as of 26 October 2026 · printed 27 Oct 2026
NationsTree / Countries / Malawi
2025
Flag of Malawi

Malawi

Sub-Saharan Africa Capital Lilongwe Low income Nation age 62 years (since 1964) i MWI · MW
NationsTree Index 2025 i31.9158th of 196 Tree height 2025 i3.5 msee ranking Military strength i23percentile
Population i22.2 m60th of 217 Area i118,484 km²101st of 216 GDP i$14.92 bn147th of 210 GDP (PPP) i$42.19 bn intl.138th of 199 GDP per person (PPP) i$1,899 intl.195th of 199 Life expectancy i67.6 years171st of 217
Index pillars
Foundations · roots i15
Strength · trunk i41
Quality of life · crown i19
Problems (higher = fewer) · dry branches i36
Direction (5-year change) · new shoots i80
CSV

In short

Malawi is 158th of 196 countries in the NationsTree Index, with a score of 31.9 out of 100; its tree is 3.5 m tall.

It has 22.2 million people and an economy of $42.19 bn at purchasing power parity, 138th of 199 in the world.

Its strongest positions: CO₂ emissions per person (25th of 203), Renewable energy (33rd of 212) and Unemployment (89th of 187).

Its weakest positions: Tertiary enrolment (149th of 150), Access to electricity (213th of 215) and Physicians (172nd of 174).

Over five years it climbed from 181st to 158th in the index.

All data

Data as of 26 October 2026

Latest available value for each indicator, with its year. World rank is among countries with recent data (last 5 years of the series).

Land & people

54
Surface area ikm² 118,484 101st/216
Land area ikm² 94,280 108th/216
Population ipeople 22.2 m 60th/217
Population growth i% 2.56% 23rd/217
Population density ipeople/km² 229.7 61st/216
Urban population i% 17.6% 214th/217
Population aged 0–14 i% 40.1% 25th/217
Population aged 65+ i% 2.6% 207th/217

Economy

21
GDP iUSD $14.92 bn 147th/210
GDP (PPP) iintl. USD $42.19 bn 138th/199
Real GDP (PPP, constant 2021 prices) iintl. USD 2021 $36.06 bn 139th/199
GDP per person iUSD $672 204th/210
GDP per person (PPP) iintl. USD $1,899 195th/199
GNI per person (Atlas) iUSD $600 196th/201
GDP growth i% 1.9% 148th/210
Inflation i% 28.4% 172nd/180
Unemployment i% 5.1% 89th/187
Central government debt i% of GDP 61.8% 31st/55
General government gross debt i% of GDP 96.6% 163rd/189
Government budget balance i% of GDP -10.2% 181st/192

Main industries

47
Agriculture, forestry, fishing i% of GDP 30.0% 12th/197
Industry incl. construction i% of GDP 14.3% 165th/200
Manufacturing i% of GDP 11.0% 89th/192
Services i% of GDP 48.7% 153rd/200

Trade

26
Exports of goods & services iUSD $1.59 bn 154th/182
Imports of goods & services iUSD $4.29 bn 144th/182
Exports i% of GDP 10.6% 174th/183
Imports i% of GDP 28.8% 137th/183
Trade openness i% of GDP 39.4% 162nd/183
Fuel exports i% of merchandise exports 0.0% 151st/170
Manufactures exports i% of merchandise exports 5.1% 152nd/171
Food exports i% of merchandise exports 93.3% 5th/171
Ores & metals exports i% of merchandise exports 0.6% 152nd/171
High-tech exports i% of manufactured exports 1.6% 137th/168
Current account balance i% of GDP -13.8% 175th/191
Foreign direct investment, inflows i% of GDP 3.6% 60th/196

Natural resources

62
Natural resource rents i% of GDP 4.2% 79th/209
Oil rents i% of GDP 0.00% 120th/197
Natural gas rents i% of GDP 0.00% 100th/197
Coal rents i% of GDP 0.02% 45th/195
Mineral rents i% of GDP 0.01% 87th/209
Forest rents i% of GDP 4.20% 19th/209
Arable land i% of land area 42.4% 12th/206
Renewable freshwater per person im³ 785 140th/183

Tourism

29
International tourist arrivals iarrivals 871,000 104th/194
Tourism receipts iUSD $35.0 m 160th/175
Tourism receipts i% of exports 2.7% 115th/168

Society & health

19
Life expectancy iyears 67.6 171st/217
Under-5 mortality iper 1,000 births 48.8 167th/196
Physicians iper 1,000 people 0.05 172nd/174
Hospital beds iper 1,000 people 1.32011
DPT immunization i% of children 12–23 months 91% 93rd/193
Completed lower secondary, 25+ i% of adults 18.8% 141st/153
Secondary enrolment i% gross 36.6% 166th/173
Social protection coverage (incl. pensions) i% of population 38.3% 36th/55
Old-age dependency ratio i% of working-age population 4.5% 206th/217
Health spending i% of GDP 6.5% 96th/193
Adult literacy i% 70.2% 80th/98
Tertiary enrolment i% gross 2.7% 149th/150
Human Development Index iindex 0–1 0.517 172nd/193
Income inequality (Gini) iindex 38.52019
Extreme poverty i% of population 75.4%2019

Infrastructure & digital

11
Access to electricity i% of population 15.6% 213th/215
Safely managed drinking water i% of population 18.2% 140th/150
Safely managed sanitation i% of population 46.2% 88th/144
Internet users i% of population 19.0% 177th/186
Mobile subscriptions iper 100 people 69 183rd/210
Fixed broadband iper 100 people 0.1 196th/208
Trade & transport infrastructure quality (LPI) iscore 1–5 2.18 141st/164
Rail lines iroute-km 7972007
Air passengers carried ipassengers 3,507 156th/161

Environment & energy

66
CO₂ emissions per person it CO₂e 0.22 25th/203
Renewable energy i% of final energy use 62.9% 33rd/212
Air pollution (PM2.5) iµg/m³ 16.7 97th/200
Forest area i% of land area 22.0% 127th/214

Institutions & safety

38
Government effectiveness iscore 0–100 40.0 150th/205
Control of corruption iscore 0–100 34.7 143rd/207
Rule of law iscore 0–100 56.4 107th/207
Political stability iscore 0–100 62.7 128th/207
Regulatory quality iscore 0–100 45.4 142nd/205
Voice & accountability iscore 0–100 57.6 103rd/205
Homicide rate iper 100,000 1.82012

Military

21
Military expenditure iUSD $162.8 m 132nd/156
Military expenditure i% of GDP 1.1% 106th/156
Military expenditure i% of government spending 3.8% 112th/154
Armed forces personnel ipeople 15,000 117th/170
Armed forces personnel i% of labour force 0.20% 154th/168
Arms imports (SIPRI TIV) iTIV 2.0 m 144th/163
Arms exports (SIPRI TIV) iTIV 1.0 m2000

Science & innovation

44
R&D spending i% of GDP 0.18%2019
Patent applications by residents iapplications 32016
Scientific articles iarticles 378 111th/197

Compare Malawi with

CongoMauritaniaMauritiusNamibia

Sources

Figures on this page come from: World Bank — World Development Indicators, International Monetary Fund — World Economic Outlook (DataMapper), Global Change Data Lab (Our World in Data) — Our World in Data, World Bank — Worldwide Governance Indicators . Nation age: Wikidata P571 (inception) (source). Every value is stored with its year and source series; see Sources & licences and Methodology.

Cite as: NationsTree (2026). Malawi — country profile. https://nationstree.org/countries/malawi. Data as of 26 October 2026.

All figures come from official statistics published by public institutions (World Bank WDI and WGI, compiling UN agencies, IMF, WHO and national statistical offices). Each value carries its year; ranks are positions among countries with data.
Cite as: NationsTree (2026). Malawi — country profile. https://nationstree.org/countries/malawi. Data as of 26 October 2026.
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