Share of population living below national poverty lines in Malawi
Malawi: Share of population living below national poverty lines was 50.7% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Share of population living below national poverty lines in Malawi, 1997–2019
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living below national poverty lines in Malawi is 50.7%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living below national poverty lines in Malawi peaked at 65.3% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 50.7%, in 2010.
That places Malawi 2nd out of 70 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.
Share of population living below national poverty lines in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 65.3% | — |
| 2004 | 52.4% | -19.8% |
| 2010 | 50.7% | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 51.5% | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 50.7% | -1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 65.3% | 65.3% | 65.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 52.4% | 52.4% | 52.4% | 1 |
| 2010s | 51.0% | 50.7% | 51.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 1 Mozambique 65.0% compare
- 3 Guinea-Bissau 50.5% compare
- 4 Lesotho 49.7% compare
- 5 Kenya 39.8% 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 below national poverty lines in Malawi?
- Share of population living below national poverty lines in Malawi was 50.7% in 2019, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living below national poverty lines recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 65.3% in 1997.
- What is the lowest share of population living below national poverty lines recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.7% in 2010.
- How does Malawi rank for share of population living below national poverty lines?
- Malawi ranks 2nd out of 70 countries with data for 2019.
- Is share of population living below national poverty lines rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living below national poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty lines. National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys.