Poverty & Inequality in Malawi

94 indicators covering poverty & inequality for Malawi.

IndicatorLatest Year10-yr change Rank
Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 2 surveys 2025 up 100.0% 76th
Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person 2025 up 53.8% 101st
Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP 2025 up 23.6% 39th
Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 3.65 live births per woman 2023 down 23.3% 40th
Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 1,857 kg per hectare 2023 down 10.2% 128th
Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP 2023 down 46.1% 46th
Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -4.49 % change on previous year 2023 down 412.1% 136th
Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 15.06 2023 up 50.1% 125th
Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 15.1% 2023 up 50.1% 125th
Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP 2023 down 9.8% 56th
Tax revenues vs income inequality, annual growth rate 11.53 % change on previous year 2023 up 173.3% 27th
Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 % change on previous year 2025 1st
Gender Inequality Index 0.581 2023 down 3.5% 16th
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 7.4% 2023 down 7.5% 178th
Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.1477 2023 down 26.0% 51st
Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex 0.1477 2023 down 26.0% 51st
Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in men 0.1766 2023 down 21.4% 44th
Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) 75.4% 2019 up 3.4% 2nd
Poverty gap at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) 33.8% 2019 down 2.9% 3rd
Poverty headcount ratio at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP) 87.3% 2019 up 2.5% 2nd
Poverty headcount ratio at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP) 97.1% 2019 up 1.0% 2nd
Prosperity gap 16.7 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day 2019 down 7.2% 3rd
Income inequality: Atkinson index 0.3925 2023 down 16.0% 40th
Poverty gap at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP) 47.6% 2019 down 0.2% 3rd
Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line 75.4% 2019 up 3.4% 2nd
Poverty gap at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP) 70.4% 2019 up 1.0% 2nd
Population living in slums 38.0% 2022 down 37.1% 60th
Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index 0.365 2023 up 13.4% 135th
Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index vs. Human Development Index 0.365 2023 up 13.4% 135th
Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index vs. GDP per capita 0.365 2023 up 13.4% 135th
Proportion of population below international poverty line 75.4% 2019 up 3.4% 2nd
Three metrics of inequality 58.85 2019 down 9.7% 37th
Gini coefficient (before tax) 0.5885 2019 down 9.7% 37th
Out-of-pocket expenditure (OOP) per capita in US$ 4.95 2023 up 86.8% 190th
Income share held by second 20% 11.0% 2019 up 18.3% 85th
Income share held by third 20% 14.9% 2019 up 11.2% 97th
Income share held by fourth 20% 21.0% 2019 up 5.0% 105th
Income share held by highest 20% 46.2% 2019 down 10.8% 31st
Income share held by highest 10% 31.0% 2019 down 16.0% 27th
Income share held by lowest 10% 2.9% 2019 up 31.8% 53rd
Income share held by lowest 20% 7.0% 2019 up 27.3% 71st
Gini index 38.5 2019 down 15.4% 37th
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income 11.1% 2019 down 26.0% 67th
Total shortfall from extreme poverty 7.10 billion international-$ in 2021 prices 2019 up 24.6% 11th
Poverty gap index at $3 a day 33.8% 2019 down 3.0% 3rd
Official development assistance grants for poverty reduction, by 2.85 2024 up 16.7% 7th
Gini coefficient: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank 0.5498 2019 down 11.9% 36th
Income inequality: Gini coefficient before and after tax 0.5498 2019 down 11.9% 36th
Share of gross national income from poverty reduction grants 2.9% 2024 up 16.8% 7th
Use of interpolation and extrapolation on original Gini coefficient data 1,119 2017 up 21.6% 155th
Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) 48.5% 2019 down 12.8% 30th
Income share of the richest 1% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) 15.2% 2019 down 30.6% 51st
Share of population living in extreme poverty vs. GDP per capita 75.4% 2019 up 3.5% 2nd
Income inequality vs. GDP per capita 0.3854 2019 down 15.2% 34th
Total population living in extreme poverty by world region 14.47 million people 2019 up 33.0% 11th
Share of population living with less than $3 and $4.20 per day 75.4% 2019 up 3.5% 2nd
How does extreme monetary poverty compare to multidimensional poverty? 75.4% 2019 up 3.5% 2nd
Share in extreme poverty vs. poverty gap index 75.4% 2019 up 3.5% 2nd
Distribution of population between different poverty lines 327,408 people 2019 down 25.1% 118th
Share of population living in extreme poverty vs. mean income or consumption per day 75.4% 2019 up 3.5% 2nd