Gini coefficient (before tax) in Malawi
Malawi: Gini coefficient (before tax) was 0.5885 in 2019. ▬ Flat
Gini coefficient (before tax) in Malawi, 1938–2019
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 0.5885 for gini coefficient (before tax) in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 29 years on record.
That represents a change of down 11.9% on the previous year and down 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gini coefficient (before tax) in Malawi peaked at 0.8414 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 0.5885, in 2019.
Malawi ranks 37th of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0.6434 | 0.6434 | 0.6434 | 1 |
| 1940s | 0.6509 | 0.6509 | 0.6509 | 1 |
| 1950s | 0.6741 | 0.6596 | 0.6861 | 6 |
| 1960s | 0.7198 | 0.7053 | 0.7363 | 6 |
| 1970s | 0.7774 | 0.7394 | 0.8106 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8414 | 0.8414 | 0.8414 | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.6101 | 0.6101 | 0.6101 | 1 |
| 2010s | 0.636 | 0.5885 | 0.668 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
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)
- 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)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 7.4% (2023)
- Income inequality: Atkinson index 0.3925 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gini coefficient (before tax) in Malawi?
- Gini coefficient (before tax) in Malawi was 0.5885 in 2019, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 0.8414 in 1997.
- What is the lowest gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5885 in 2019.
- How does Malawi rank for gini coefficient (before tax)?
- Malawi ranks 37th out of 113 countries with data for 2019.
- Is gini coefficient (before tax) rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gini coefficient (before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The Gini coefficient measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of income before taxes and benefits.