Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Malawi
Malawi: Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates was 86.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Malawi, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, ratio of female to male labor force participation rates 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 rates in Malawi peaked at 94.2% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 85.5%, in 2020.
Malawi ranks 50th 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.
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | 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 rates in Malawi?
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Malawi was 86.4% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest ratio of female to male labor force participation rates recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 94.2% in 1990.
- What is the lowest ratio of female to male labor force participation rates 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 rates?
- Malawi ranks 50th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ratio of female to male labor force participation rates 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 International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This ratio is calculated by dividing the labor force participation rate among women by the corresponding rate for men. The labor force participation rate is the share of the working-age population (ages 15 and over) who are economically active (employed or unemployed).