Share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in Malawi
Malawi: Share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) was 73.5% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in Malawi, 1997–2019
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 73.5% for share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in 2019. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.2% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in Malawi peaked at 73.5% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 62.4%, in 1997.
Malawi ranks 2nd of 119 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 62.4% | — |
| 2004 | 72.5% | +16.2% |
| 2010 | 71.1% | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 69.2% | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 73.5% | +6.2% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 73.5% is above the median for low income countries, which is 40.3%, 1.8× the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 73.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 28.3%, 2.6× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 62.4% | 62.4% | 62.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 72.5% | 72.5% | 72.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 71.3% | 69.2% | 73.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 1 Madagascar 78.8% compare
- 3 Mozambique 73.5% compare
- 4 Burundi 69.9% compare
- 5 Zambia 61.6% 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 population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in Malawi?
- Share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in Malawi was 73.5% in 2019, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 73.5% in 2019.
- What is the lowest share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.4% in 1997.
- How does Malawi rank for share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices)?
- Malawi ranks 2nd out of 119 countries with data for 2019.
- Is share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. 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 (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices). 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 $1.90 per day.