Employment to population ratio in Malawi
Malawi: Employment to population ratio was 59.4 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
59.4
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
79th
of 186 countries
All-time high
77.06
in 1997
All-time low
59.37
in 2021
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Employment to population ratio in Malawi, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 59.4 for employment to population ratio in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 6.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment to population ratio in Malawi peaked at 77.06 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 59.37, in 2021.
That places Malawi 79th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment to population ratio in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 76.75 | — |
| 1992 | 76.66 | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 76.76 | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 76.48 | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 76.88 | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 76.85 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 77.06 | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 76.88 | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 76.81 | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 76.76 | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 76.61 | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 76.58 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 76.64 | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 76.8 | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 76.82 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 75.74 | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 74.69 | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 73.6 | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 72.45 | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 71.16 | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 69.84 | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 68.29 | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 66.77 | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 65.23 | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 63.64 | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 61.96 | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 60.26 | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 60.19 | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 60.13 | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 64.36 | +7.0% |
| 2021 | 59.37 | -7.7% |
| 2022 | 59.9 | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 59.84 | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 59.75 | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 59.4 | -0.6% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 59.4 is below the median for low income countries, which is 64.33, 92% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 59.4 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 58.81, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 76.79 | 76.48 | 77.06 | 9 |
| 2000s | 75.67 | 72.45 | 76.82 | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.75 | 60.13 | 71.16 | 10 |
| 2020s | 60.44 | 59.37 | 64.36 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More work & labour data for Malawi
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.4293 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.4409 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.4183 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 1.02 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 4.02 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 13,360 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 28,345 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 30,321 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 28,820 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 59,141 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment to population ratio in Malawi?
- Employment to population ratio in Malawi was 59.4 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment to population ratio recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 77.06 in 1997.
- What is the lowest employment to population ratio recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 59.37 in 2021.
- How does Malawi rank for employment to population ratio?
- Malawi ranks 79th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment to population ratio rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Employment to population ratio. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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