Population by labor force status in Malawi
Malawi: Population by labor force status was 8.91 million people in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population by labor force status in Malawi, 1991–2025
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2025, population by labor force status in Malawi stood at 8.91 million people. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population by labor force status in Malawi peaked at 8.91 million people in 2025 and was at its lowest, 4.49 million people, in 1991.
That places Malawi 49th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.78 million people | 4.49 million people | 5.11 million people | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.88 million people | 5.22 million people | 6.65 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.64 million people | 6.85 million people | 8.31 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.67 million people | 8.42 million people | 8.91 million people | 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 population by labor force status in Malawi?
- Population by labor force status in Malawi was 8.91 million people in 2025, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population by labor force status recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 8.91 million people in 2025.
- What is the lowest population by labor force status recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.49 million people in 1991.
- How does Malawi rank for population by labor force status?
- Malawi ranks 49th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population by labor force status rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population by labor force status. 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
Population below working age (under 15 years old).