Labor force participation rate in Malawi
Malawi: Labor force participation rate was 62.58 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
62.58
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
86th
of 186 countries
All-time high
80.86
in 1999
All-time low
62.58
in 2025
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Labor force participation rate in Malawi, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 62.58 for labor force participation rate in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate in Malawi peaked at 80.86 in 1999 and was at its lowest, 62.58, in 2025.
That places Malawi 86th 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 36 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 80.65 | — |
| 1991 | 80.7 | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 80.75 | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 80.79 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 80.82 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 80.84 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 80.84 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 80.85 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 80.86 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 80.86 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 80.84 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 80.83 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 80.82 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 80.81 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 80.81 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 80.81 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 79.69 | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 78.52 | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 77.31 | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 76.05 | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 74.74 | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 73.38 | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 71.85 | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 70.27 | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 68.64 | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 66.96 | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 65.23 | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 63.47 | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 63.37 | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 63.27 | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 68.26 | +7.9% |
| 2021 | 62.93 | -7.8% |
| 2022 | 63.07 | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 63 | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 62.93 | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 62.58 | -0.6% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 62.58 is below the median for low income countries, which is 67.04, 93% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 62.58 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.31, 97% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 80.8 | 80.65 | 80.86 | 10 |
| 2000s | 79.65 | 76.05 | 80.84 | 10 |
| 2010s | 68.12 | 63.27 | 74.74 | 10 |
| 2020s | 63.79 | 62.58 | 68.26 | 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 labor force participation rate in Malawi?
- Labor force participation rate in Malawi was 62.58 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rate recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 80.86 in 1999.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.58 in 2025.
- How does Malawi rank for labor force participation rate?
- Malawi ranks 86th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate 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 Labor force participation rate. 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).