Gender Inequality Index in Malawi
Malawi: Gender Inequality Index was 0.581 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Gender Inequality Index in Malawi, 1998–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, gender inequality index in Malawi stood at 0.581.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender inequality index in Malawi peaked at 0.694 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 0.576, in 2022.
That places Malawi 16th out of 169 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Gender Inequality Index in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 0.694 | — |
| 1999 | 0.673 | -3.0% |
| 2000 | 0.665 | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 0.659 | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 0.653 | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 0.648 | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 0.62 | -4.3% |
| 2005 | 0.619 | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 0.615 | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 0.62 | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 0.628 | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 0.61 | -2.9% |
| 2010 | 0.614 | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 0.607 | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 0.607 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.602 | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 0.611 | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 0.609 | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 0.603 | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 0.592 | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 0.596 | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 0.577 | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 0.579 | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 0.577 | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 0.576 | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 0.581 | +0.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 0.581 is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.581, 1.0× the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 0.581 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.526, 1.1× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.6835 | 0.673 | 0.694 | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.6337 | 0.61 | 0.665 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6018 | 0.577 | 0.614 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5782 | 0.576 | 0.581 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 13 Cote d'Ivoire 0.589 compare
- 14 Sudan 0.588 compare
- 15 Papua New Guinea 0.584 compare
- 17 Gambia 0.578 compare
- 18 Benin 0.573 compare
- 19 Sierra Leone 0.566 compare
More poverty & inequality data for Malawi
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 2 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (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)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -4.49 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 15.06 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 15.1% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender inequality index in Malawi?
- Gender inequality index in Malawi was 0.581 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender inequality index recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 0.694 in 1998.
- What is the lowest gender inequality index recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.576 in 2022.
- How does Malawi rank for gender inequality index?
- Malawi ranks 16th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gender inequality index rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender Inequality Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This index captures gender-based disadvantage in reproductive health, empowerment and the labor market; ranges from 0 (full equality) to 1 (maximum inequality), representing the share of potential human development lost because of gender gaps.