Income share of the richest 1% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Malawi
Malawi: Income share of the richest 1% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) was 15.2% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Income share of the richest 1% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Malawi, 1938–2019
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 15.2% for income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 29 years on record.
The figure is down 51.5% on the previous year and down 30.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Malawi peaked at 64.1% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 15.2%, in 2019.
That places Malawi 51st out of 113 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Income share of the richest 1% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1938 | 20.8% | — |
| 1945 | 21.5% | +3.7% |
| 1953 | 22.6% | +5.2% |
| 1954 | 19.9% | -12.1% |
| 1955 | 21.1% | +6.0% |
| 1956 | 22.7% | +7.6% |
| 1957 | 24.0% | +5.6% |
| 1958 | 22.9% | -4.4% |
| 1964 | 27.8% | +21.3% |
| 1965 | 31.2% | +12.1% |
| 1966 | 29.8% | -4.3% |
| 1967 | 32.8% | +9.8% |
| 1968 | 36.6% | +11.8% |
| 1969 | 34.9% | -4.8% |
| 1970 | 38.1% | +9.3% |
| 1971 | 42.1% | +10.3% |
| 1972 | 46.9% | +11.4% |
| 1973 | 43.9% | -6.4% |
| 1974 | 47.8% | +9.1% |
| 1975 | 52.3% | +9.3% |
| 1976 | 49.7% | -4.9% |
| 1977 | 53.8% | +8.1% |
| 1978 | 58.0% | +7.8% |
| 1979 | 56.1% | -3.3% |
| 1997 | 64.1% | +14.3% |
| 2004 | 19.1% | -70.1% |
| 2010 | 21.9% | +14.6% |
| 2016 | 31.4% | +43.1% |
| 2019 | 15.2% | -51.5% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 15.2% is above the median for low income countries, which is 14.6%, 1.0× the median. (12 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 15.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.5%, 1.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Income share of the richest 1% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Malawi changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | -70.1% | 64.1% | 19.1% |
| 2019 | -51.5% | 31.4% | 15.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 20.8% | 20.8% | 20.8% | 1 |
| 1940s | 21.5% | 21.5% | 21.5% | 1 |
| 1950s | 22.2% | 19.9% | 24.0% | 6 |
| 1960s | 32.2% | 27.8% | 36.6% | 6 |
| 1970s | 48.9% | 38.1% | 58.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 64.1% | 64.1% | 64.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 19.1% | 19.1% | 19.1% | 1 |
| 2010s | 22.9% | 15.2% | 31.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
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 income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Malawi?
- Income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Malawi was 15.2% in 2019, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 64.1% in 1997.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.2% in 2019.
- How does Malawi rank for income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax)?
- Malawi ranks 51st out of 113 countries with data for 2019.
- Is income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Income share of the richest 1% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of income received by the richest 1% of the population. Income here is measured before taxes and benefits.