GDP per employed person in Malawi
Malawi: GDP per employed person was 4,563 constant 2021 PPP $ in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
4,563 constant 2021 PPP $
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
170th
of 177 countries
All-time high
4,981 constant 2021 PPP $
in 2019
All-time low
2,366 constant 2021 PPP $
in 1994
Years of data
35
1991–2025
GDP per employed person in Malawi, 1991–2025
Source: World Bank, International Labour Organization (ILO), UN Population Division, Eurostat, and OECD (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2021 PPP $.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 4,563 constant 2021 PPP $ for gdp per employed person in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and down 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gdp per employed person in Malawi peaked at 4,981 constant 2021 PPP $ in 2019 and was at its lowest, 2,366 constant 2021 PPP $, in 1994.
That places Malawi 170th out of 177 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
GDP per employed person in Malawi, year by year
| Year | constant 2021 PPP $ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2,646 constant 2021 PPP $ | — |
| 1992 | 2,392 constant 2021 PPP $ | -9.6% |
| 1993 | 2,591 constant 2021 PPP $ | +8.3% |
| 1994 | 2,366 constant 2021 PPP $ | -8.7% |
| 1995 | 2,755 constant 2021 PPP $ | +16.4% |
| 1996 | 2,902 constant 2021 PPP $ | +5.3% |
| 1997 | 2,945 constant 2021 PPP $ | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 3,003 constant 2021 PPP $ | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 3,026 constant 2021 PPP $ | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 2,999 constant 2021 PPP $ | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 2,785 constant 2021 PPP $ | -7.1% |
| 2002 | 2,764 constant 2021 PPP $ | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 2,845 constant 2021 PPP $ | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 2,915 constant 2021 PPP $ | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 2,930 constant 2021 PPP $ | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 3,028 constant 2021 PPP $ | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 3,273 constant 2021 PPP $ | +8.1% |
| 2008 | 3,477 constant 2021 PPP $ | +6.2% |
| 2009 | 3,720 constant 2021 PPP $ | +7.0% |
| 2010 | 3,931 constant 2021 PPP $ | +5.7% |
| 2011 | 4,081 constant 2021 PPP $ | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 4,125 constant 2021 PPP $ | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 4,310 constant 2021 PPP $ | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 4,512 constant 2021 PPP $ | +4.7% |
| 2015 | 4,600 constant 2021 PPP $ | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 4,682 constant 2021 PPP $ | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 4,835 constant 2021 PPP $ | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 4,878 constant 2021 PPP $ | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 4,981 constant 2021 PPP $ | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 4,525 constant 2021 PPP $ | -9.2% |
| 2021 | 4,946 constant 2021 PPP $ | +9.3% |
| 2022 | 4,772 constant 2021 PPP $ | -3.5% |
| 2023 | 4,696 constant 2021 PPP $ | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 4,613 constant 2021 PPP $ | -1.8% |
| 2025 | 4,563 constant 2021 PPP $ | -1.1% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 4,563 constant 2021 PPP $ is below the median for low income countries, which is 7,233 constant 2021 PPP $, 63% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 4,563 constant 2021 PPP $ is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10,880 constant 2021 PPP $, 42% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2,736 constant 2021 PPP $ | 2,366 constant 2021 PPP $ | 3,026 constant 2021 PPP $ | 9 |
| 2000s | 3,074 constant 2021 PPP $ | 2,764 constant 2021 PPP $ | 3,720 constant 2021 PPP $ | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,494 constant 2021 PPP $ | 3,931 constant 2021 PPP $ | 4,981 constant 2021 PPP $ | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,686 constant 2021 PPP $ | 4,525 constant 2021 PPP $ | 4,946 constant 2021 PPP $ | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 167 Uganda 6,731 constant 2021 PPP $ compare
- 168 Burkina Faso 6,603 constant 2021 PPP $ compare
- 169 Democratic Republic of Congo 4,939 constant 2021 PPP $ compare
- 171 Solomon Islands 4,519 constant 2021 PPP $ compare
- 172 Niger 4,356 constant 2021 PPP $ compare
- 173 Liberia 3,736 constant 2021 PPP $ compare
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 gdp per employed person in Malawi?
- Gdp per employed person in Malawi was 4,563 constant 2021 PPP $ in 2025, according to World Bank, International Labour Organization (ILO), UN Population Division, Eurostat, and OECD (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gdp per employed person recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 4,981 constant 2021 PPP $ in 2019.
- What is the lowest gdp per employed person recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,366 constant 2021 PPP $ in 1994.
- How does Malawi rank for gdp per employed person?
- Malawi ranks 170th out of 177 countries with data for 2025.
- Is gdp per employed person rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, International Labour Organization (ILO), UN Population Division, Eurostat, and OECD (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of GDP per employed person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Gross domestic product (GDP) divided by the total number of people employed in the economy. This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.