Labor participation rate in Malawi
Malawi: Labor 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 participation rate in Malawi, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, labor participation rate in Malawi stood at 62.58. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor participation rate in Malawi peaked at 80.86 in 1999 and was at its lowest, 62.58, in 2025.
Malawi ranks 86th 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.
Labor 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 participation rate in Malawi?
- Labor participation rate in Malawi was 62.58 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor participation rate recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 80.86 in 1999.
- What is the lowest labor participation rate recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.58 in 2025.
- How does Malawi rank for labor participation rate?
- Malawi ranks 86th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor 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 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).