Extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time in Malawi
Malawi: Extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time was 75.4% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time in Malawi, 1997–2019
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time in Malawi stood at 75.4%. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.3% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time in Malawi peaked at 75.4% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 64.6%, in 1997.
That places Malawi 2nd out of 120 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 64.6% | 64.6% | 64.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 74.4% | 74.4% | 74.4% | 1 |
| 2010s | 73.3% | 71.7% | 75.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 1 Mozambique 81.4% compare
- 3 Burundi 74.2% compare
- 4 Zambia 71.7% compare
- 5 Madagascar 69.2% 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 extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time in Malawi?
- Extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time in Malawi was 75.4% in 2019, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 75.4% in 2019.
- What is the lowest extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 64.6% in 1997.
- How does Malawi rank for extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time?
- Malawi ranks 2nd out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
- Is extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.