Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Malawi
Malawi: Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) was 48.5% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Income share of the richest 10% 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
The most recent figure for income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Malawi is 48.5%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 29 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 17.2% on the previous year and down 12.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Malawi peaked at 80.3% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 48.5%, in 2019.
Malawi ranks 30th of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1938 | 57.4% | — |
| 1945 | 58.4% | +1.7% |
| 1953 | 60.8% | +4.1% |
| 1954 | 59.9% | -1.5% |
| 1955 | 60.9% | +1.7% |
| 1956 | 62.1% | +2.0% |
| 1957 | 63.2% | +1.7% |
| 1958 | 63.1% | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 65.7% | +4.0% |
| 1965 | 67.1% | +2.2% |
| 1966 | 66.2% | -1.3% |
| 1967 | 67.4% | +1.8% |
| 1968 | 69.1% | +2.5% |
| 1969 | 68.0% | -1.5% |
| 1970 | 69.4% | +2.0% |
| 1971 | 71.1% | +2.5% |
| 1972 | 73.3% | +3.0% |
| 1973 | 71.5% | -2.4% |
| 1974 | 73.2% | +2.4% |
| 1975 | 75.3% | +2.8% |
| 1976 | 73.7% | -2.2% |
| 1977 | 75.5% | +2.4% |
| 1978 | 77.4% | +2.5% |
| 1979 | 76.0% | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 80.3% | +5.6% |
| 2004 | 51.4% | -36.0% |
| 2010 | 55.6% | +8.2% |
| 2016 | 58.5% | +5.3% |
| 2019 | 48.5% | -17.2% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 48.5% is above the median for low income countries, which is 47.3%, 1.0× the median. (12 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 48.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 47.4%, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Income share of the richest 10% 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 | -36.0% | 80.3% | 51.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 57.4% | 57.4% | 57.4% | 1 |
| 1940s | 58.4% | 58.4% | 58.4% | 1 |
| 1950s | 61.7% | 59.9% | 63.2% | 6 |
| 1960s | 67.3% | 65.7% | 69.1% | 6 |
| 1970s | 73.6% | 69.4% | 77.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 80.3% | 80.3% | 80.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 51.4% | 51.4% | 51.4% | 1 |
| 2010s | 54.2% | 48.5% | 58.5% | 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 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Malawi?
- Income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Malawi was 48.5% 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 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 80.3% in 1997.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.5% in 2019.
- How does Malawi rank for income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax)?
- Malawi ranks 30th out of 113 countries with data for 2019.
- Is income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 10% 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 10% of the population. Income here is measured before taxes and benefits.