Female labor force participation rates in Malawi
Malawi: Female labor force participation rates was 58.18 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
58.18
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
60th
of 186 countries
All-time high
78.35
in 1990
All-time low
58.18
in 2025
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Female labor force participation rates in Malawi, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for female labor force participation rates in Malawi is 58.18, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female labor force participation rates in Malawi peaked at 78.35 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 58.18, in 2025.
Malawi ranks 60th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Female labor force participation rates in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 78.35 | — |
| 1991 | 78.29 | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 78.23 | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 78.18 | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 78.14 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 78.12 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 78.11 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 78.1 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 78.09 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 78.09 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 78.11 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 78.12 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 78.13 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 78.15 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 78.16 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 78.16 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 76.75 | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 75.28 | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 73.75 | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 72.15 | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 70.49 | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 68.77 | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 67.19 | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 65.57 | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 63.92 | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 62.23 | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 60.51 | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 58.77 | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 58.9 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 59.03 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 63.12 | +6.9% |
| 2021 | 58.79 | -6.9% |
| 2022 | 58.75 | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 58.64 | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 58.53 | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 58.18 | -0.6% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 58.18 is below the median for low income countries, which is 60.29, 97% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 58.18 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 57.3, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 78.17 | 78.09 | 78.35 | 10 |
| 2000s | 76.68 | 72.15 | 78.16 | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.54 | 58.77 | 70.49 | 10 |
| 2020s | 59.34 | 58.18 | 63.12 | 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 female labor force participation rates in Malawi?
- Female labor force participation rates in Malawi was 58.18 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female labor force participation rates recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 78.35 in 1990.
- What is the lowest female labor force participation rates recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.18 in 2025.
- How does Malawi rank for female labor force participation rates?
- Malawi ranks 60th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is female labor force participation rates rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.5%. 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 Female labor force participation rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).