Male labor force participation rate in Malawi
Malawi: Male labor force participation rate was 67.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Male labor force participation rate in Malawi, 1990–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 67.3% for male labor force participation rate in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, male labor force participation rate in Malawi peaked at 83.9% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 67.3%, in 2025.
That places Malawi 118th 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 83.7% | 83.2% | 83.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 82.9% | 80.3% | 83.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.1% | 67.9% | 79.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.6% | 67.3% | 73.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
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 male labor force participation rate in Malawi?
- Male labor force participation rate in Malawi was 67.3% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest male labor force participation rate recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 83.9% in 1999.
- What is the lowest male labor force participation rate recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 67.3% in 2025.
- How does Malawi rank for male labor force participation rate?
- Malawi ranks 118th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is male labor force participation rate rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Male labor force participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the male working-age population (ages 15 and over) who are economically active (employed or unemployed).