Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Malawi
Malawi: Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty was 7.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
7.4%
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
178th
of 184 countries
All-time high
30.8%
in 1980
All-time low
7.4%
in 2022
Years of data
70
1954–2023
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Malawi, 1954–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 7.4% for share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in 2023.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and down 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Malawi peaked at 30.8% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 7.4%, in 2022.
That places Malawi 178th out of 184 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 70 years of available data.
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 | 14.3% | — |
| 1955 | 12.9% | -9.4% |
| 1956 | 16.2% | +25.3% |
| 1957 | 16.0% | -0.9% |
| 1958 | 17.1% | +6.5% |
| 1959 | 19.5% | +14.0% |
| 1960 | 18.5% | -4.9% |
| 1961 | 19.8% | +6.7% |
| 1962 | 20.8% | +5.4% |
| 1963 | 20.6% | -1.1% |
| 1964 | 19.1% | -7.4% |
| 1965 | 18.2% | -4.4% |
| 1966 | 18.9% | +3.8% |
| 1967 | 20.7% | +9.7% |
| 1968 | 20.5% | -1.2% |
| 1969 | 19.5% | -4.8% |
| 1970 | 18.9% | -3.2% |
| 1971 | 17.1% | -9.3% |
| 1972 | 19.0% | +11.3% |
| 1973 | 19.3% | +1.1% |
| 1974 | 20.9% | +8.3% |
| 1975 | 21.0% | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 21.6% | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 21.3% | -1.4% |
| 1978 | 27.3% | +28.5% |
| 1979 | 30.6% | +12.0% |
| 1980 | 30.8% | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 27.2% | -11.7% |
| 1982 | 24.5% | -9.6% |
| 1983 | 21.7% | -11.7% |
| 1984 | 20.6% | -4.9% |
| 1985 | 22.8% | +10.7% |
| 1986 | 22.6% | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 21.5% | -5.2% |
| 1988 | 20.5% | -4.7% |
| 1989 | 16.8% | -17.8% |
| 1990 | 15.4% | -8.7% |
| 1991 | 13.3% | -13.7% |
| 1992 | 13.4% | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 12.1% | -10.3% |
| 1994 | 13.3% | +10.6% |
| 1995 | 11.8% | -11.3% |
| 1996 | 9.5% | -19.6% |
| 1997 | 9.6% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 10.8% | +12.3% |
| 1999 | 10.9% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 11.4% | +5.1% |
| 2001 | 13.2% | +15.8% |
| 2002 | 12.2% | -7.9% |
| 2003 | 13.9% | +13.9% |
| 2004 | 16.2% | +16.6% |
| 2005 | 17.8% | +10.3% |
| 2006 | 13.2% | -26.0% |
| 2007 | 12.5% | -5.2% |
| 2008 | 10.2% | -18.7% |
| 2009 | 12.3% | +20.9% |
| 2010 | 8.2% | -33.2% |
| 2011 | 8.0% | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 7.9% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 8.0% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 8.6% | +7.7% |
| 2015 | 8.0% | -7.6% |
| 2016 | 8.5% | +6.6% |
| 2017 | 9.0% | +6.2% |
| 2018 | 8.7% | -3.8% |
| 2019 | 7.9% | -9.1% |
| 2020 | 8.6% | +8.7% |
| 2021 | 7.8% | -9.1% |
| 2022 | 7.4% | -5.2% |
| 2023 | 7.4% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 16.0% | 12.9% | 19.5% | 6 |
| 1960s | 19.7% | 18.2% | 20.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 21.7% | 17.1% | 30.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 22.9% | 16.8% | 30.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.0% | 9.5% | 15.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.3% | 10.2% | 17.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.3% | 7.9% | 9.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.8% | 7.4% | 8.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 175 Pakistan 8.0% compare
- 176 Somalia 7.9% compare
- 177 Switzerland 7.7% compare
- 179 India 7.4% compare
- 180 Tanzania, United Republic of 7.3% compare
- 181 Sierra Leone 6.6% 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 share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Malawi?
- Share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Malawi was 7.4% in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 30.8% in 1980.
- What is the lowest share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.4% in 2022.
- How does Malawi rank for share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty?
- Malawi ranks 178th out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Government consumption divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.