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.
Gini coefficient (before tax) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1938 | 0.6434 | — |
| 1945 | 0.6509 | +1.2% |
| 1953 | 0.6684 | +2.7% |
| 1954 | 0.6596 | -1.3% |
| 1955 | 0.6679 | +1.3% |
| 1956 | 0.6778 | +1.5% |
| 1957 | 0.6861 | +1.2% |
| 1958 | 0.6847 | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 0.7053 | +3.0% |
| 1965 | 0.7179 | +1.8% |
| 1966 | 0.7106 | -1.0% |
| 1967 | 0.7215 | +1.5% |
| 1968 | 0.7363 | +2.1% |
| 1969 | 0.7271 | -1.2% |
| 1970 | 0.7394 | +1.7% |
| 1971 | 0.7545 | +2.0% |
| 1972 | 0.7734 | +2.5% |
| 1973 | 0.7585 | -1.9% |
| 1974 | 0.774 | +2.0% |
| 1975 | 0.7916 | +2.3% |
| 1976 | 0.7782 | -1.7% |
| 1977 | 0.7939 | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 0.8106 | +2.1% |
| 1979 | 0.7995 | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 0.8414 | +5.2% |
| 2004 | 0.6101 | -27.5% |
| 2010 | 0.6515 | +6.8% |
| 2016 | 0.668 | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 0.5885 | -11.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 0.5885 is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.5783, 1.0× the median. (12 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 0.5885 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.5771, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Gini coefficient (before tax) in Malawi changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | -27.5% | 0.8414 | 0.6101 |
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)
- 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 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.
Download this data
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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.