Share of population in extreme poverty in Malawi

Malawi: Share of population in extreme poverty was 75.44 in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
75.44
Change on year
up 5.3%
World rank
2nd
of 120 countries
All-time high
75.44
in 2019
All-time low
64.56
in 1997
Years of data
5
1997–2019

Share of population in extreme poverty in Malawi, 1997–2019

0204060801997200820191997: 64.62004: 74.42010: 72.92016: 71.72019: 75.4

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2019, share of population in extreme poverty in Malawi stood at 75.44. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.

That represents a change of up 5.3% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population in extreme poverty in Malawi peaked at 75.44 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 64.56, in 1997.

That places Malawi 2nd out of 120 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 64.56 64.56 64.56 1
2000s 74.4 74.4 74.4 1
2010s 73.33 71.65 75.44 3

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 1 Mozambique 81.36 compare
  2. 3 Burundi 74.2 compare
  3. 4 Zambia 71.66 compare
  4. 5 Madagascar 69.17 compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More poverty & inequality data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population in extreme poverty in Malawi?
Share of population in extreme poverty in Malawi was 75.44 in 2019, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population in extreme poverty recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 75.44 in 2019.
What is the lowest share of population in extreme poverty recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 64.56 in 1997.
How does Malawi rank for share of population in extreme poverty?
Malawi ranks 2nd out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
Is share of population in extreme poverty 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population in extreme poverty in Malawi. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://poverty.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-population-in-extreme-poverty/malawi/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population in extreme poverty
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
120 places, 2,148 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed