Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Malawi
Malawi: Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) was 86.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Malawi, 1990–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Malawi stood at 86.4%.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Malawi peaked at 94.2% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 85.5%, in 2020.
Malawi ranks 50th of 187 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.
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 94.2% | — |
| 1991 | 93.9% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 93.7% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 93.4% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 93.3% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 93.2% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 93.2% | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 93.2% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 93.1% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 93.1% | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 93.2% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 93.2% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 93.3% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 93.3% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 93.4% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 93.3% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 92.5% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 91.7% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 90.8% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 89.8% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 88.8% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 87.7% | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 87.3% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 86.9% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 86.6% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 86.3% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 86.0% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 85.7% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 86.3% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 86.9% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 85.5% | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 87.2% | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 86.7% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 86.6% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 86.5% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 86.4% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 93.4% | 93.1% | 94.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 92.4% | 89.8% | 93.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 86.8% | 85.7% | 88.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 86.5% | 85.5% | 87.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 47 Guinea-Bissau 86.6% compare
- 48 Eritrea 86.6% compare
- 49 France 86.4% compare
- 51 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 86.3% compare
- 52 Botswana 86.1% compare
- 53 Macau, China 85.7% 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 ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Malawi?
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Malawi was 86.4% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 94.2% in 1990.
- What is the lowest ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 85.5% in 2020.
- How does Malawi rank for ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%)?
- Malawi ranks 50th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15 and older that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.