Self-reported life satisfaction in Malawi
Malawi: Self-reported life satisfaction was 3.28 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-reported life satisfaction in Malawi, 2011–2025
Source: Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for self-reported life satisfaction in Malawi is 3.28, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and down 21.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-reported life satisfaction in Malawi peaked at 4.62 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 3.26, in 2024.
That places Malawi 153rd out of 157 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 3.96 | 3.41 | 4.62 | 8 |
| 2020s | 3.47 | 3.26 | 3.75 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More social development data for Malawi
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 35,241 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 551 (2025)
- Physical Integrity Rights Score 0.2204 (2019)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of origin 1,779 (2025)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of asylum 25,251 (2025)
- Forcibly displaced people 60,492 (2025)
- Press freedom 1 (2016)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-reported life satisfaction in Malawi?
- Self-reported life satisfaction in Malawi was 3.28 in 2025, according to Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest self-reported life satisfaction recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 4.62 in 2011.
- What is the lowest self-reported life satisfaction recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.26 in 2024.
- How does Malawi rank for self-reported life satisfaction?
- Malawi ranks 153rd out of 157 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-reported life satisfaction rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Self-reported life satisfaction. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average of survey responses. The survey question asks respondents their current position on a hypothetical ladder, where the best possible life for them is a 10, and the worst possible life is a 0.