Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Malawi
Malawi: Distribution of population between different poverty lines was 7,898 people in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Malawi, 1997–2019
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 7,898 people for distribution of population between different poverty lines in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 50.2% on the previous year and down 69.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of population between different poverty lines in Malawi peaked at 58,453 people in 1997 and was at its lowest, 7,898 people, in 2019.
Malawi ranks 112th of 120 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 58,453 people | 58,453 people | 58,453 people | 1 |
| 2000s | 10,868 people | 10,868 people | 10,868 people | 1 |
| 2010s | 16,594 people | 7,898 people | 26,037 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 109 Kyrgyz Republic 16,256 people compare
- 110 Armenia 15,882 people compare
- 111 Gambia, The 10,948 people compare
- 113 Niger 6,581 people compare
- 114 Mali 5,670 people compare
- 115 Mauritania 4,506 people compare
More poverty & inequality data for Malawi
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 2 surveys (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 3.65 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 1,857 kg per hectare (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 15.1% (2023)
- Gender Inequality Index 0.581 (2023)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 7.4% (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.1477 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex 0.1477 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in men 0.1766 (2023)
- Income inequality: Atkinson index 0.3925 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is distribution of population between different poverty lines in Malawi?
- Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Malawi was 7,898 people in 2019, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 58,453 people in 1997.
- What is the lowest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,898 people in 2019.
- How does Malawi rank for distribution of population between different poverty lines?
- Malawi ranks 112th out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
- Is distribution of population between different poverty lines rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 69.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Distribution of population between different poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $40 per day.