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.

Gender Inequality Index in Malawi

Name: Gender Inequality Index in Malawi
Creator: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Malawi: Gender Inequality Index was 0.581 in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)

0.581

Change on year

up 0.9%

World rank

16th

of 169 countries

All-time high

0.694

in 1998

All-time low

0.576

in 2022

Years of data

1998–2023

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.

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

See the full ranking of 169 places →

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)
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)
Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) 75.4% (2019)

All data for Malawi →

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

Indicator: Gender Inequality Index
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 169 places, 4,592 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

This index captures gender-based disadvantage in reproductive health, empowerment and the labour market; ranges from 0 (full equality) to 1 (maximum inequality), representing the share of potential human development lost because of gender gaps.