Female employment rate in Malawi
Malawi: Female employment rate was 36.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Female employment rate in Malawi, 1983–2024
Source: Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 36.7% for female employment rate in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 46.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female employment rate in Malawi peaked at 90.1% in 1983 and was at its lowest, 36.7%, in 2024.
That places Malawi 144th out of 172 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 76.9% | 63.7% | 90.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 77.9% | 77.9% | 77.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 80.4% | 77.5% | 83.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 64.1% | 56.3% | 68.5% | 3 |
| 2020s | 49.6% | 36.7% | 62.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 141 Bangladesh 37.1% compare
- 142 Uzbekistan 36.9% compare
- 143 Bosnia and Herzegovina 36.8% compare
- 145 Oman 35.8% compare
- 146 Fiji 35.2% compare
- 147 Nauru 33.8% compare
More work & labour data for Malawi
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 62.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 67.3% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 86.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 58.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 63.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 67.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 59.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is female employment rate in Malawi?
- Female employment rate in Malawi was 36.7% in 2024, according to Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female employment rate recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 90.1% in 1983.
- What is the lowest female employment rate recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.7% in 2024.
- How does Malawi rank for female employment rate?
- Malawi ranks 144th out of 172 countries with data for 2024.
- Is female employment rate rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 46.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Female employment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the female working-age population who are employed. Figures refer to national estimates and may not be fully comparable across countries.