Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Malawi
Malawi: Self-employed, male (% of male employment) was 55.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Malawi, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Malawi recorded 55.6% for self-employed, male (% of male employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Malawi peaked at 59.6% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 55.6%, in 2025.
That places Malawi 46th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 59.3% | — |
| 1992 | 59.4% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 59.3% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 59.6% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 59.3% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 59.0% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 58.7% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 58.4% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 58.2% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 58.1% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 58.2% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 58.3% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 58.3% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 58.3% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 58.2% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 58.2% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 57.9% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 57.7% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 57.5% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 57.3% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 57.0% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 56.9% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 56.8% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 56.7% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 56.6% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 56.6% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 56.6% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 56.5% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 56.3% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 56.4% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 55.8% | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 55.7% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 55.6% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 55.7% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 55.6% | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 59.0% | 58.2% | 59.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 58.1% | 57.5% | 58.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.7% | 56.3% | 57.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.8% | 55.6% | 56.4% | 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 self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Malawi?
- Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Malawi was 55.6% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest self-employed, male (% of male employment) recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 59.6% in 1994.
- What is the lowest self-employed, male (% of male employment) recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.6% in 2025.
- How does Malawi rank for self-employed, male (% of male employment)?
- Malawi ranks 46th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, male (% of male employment) rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. 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 Self-employed, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Self-employed workers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners or in cooperative, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs." i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced. Self-employed workers include sub-categories of employers, own-account workers and members of producers' cooperatives and contributing family workers.