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%.
Extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 64.6% | — |
| 2004 | 74.4% | +15.2% |
| 2010 | 72.9% | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 71.7% | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 75.4% | +5.3% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 75.4% is above the median for low income countries, which is 42.1%, 1.8× the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 75.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 38.8%, 1.9× the median. (26 countries reporting)
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)
- 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 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
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.