Employment by status in Malawi
Malawi: Employment by status was 38.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Employment by status in Malawi, 1991–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, employment by status in Malawi stood at 38.7%. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by status in Malawi peaked at 38.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 34.8%, in 1994.
Malawi ranks 143rd of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 35.2% | 34.8% | 35.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 36.2% | 36.0% | 36.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.7% | 37.1% | 38.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.5% | 38.1% | 38.7% | 5 |
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 employment by status in Malawi?
- Employment by status in Malawi was 38.7% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment by status recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 38.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest employment by status recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.8% in 1994.
- How does Malawi rank for employment by status?
- Malawi ranks 143rd out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is employment by status rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment by status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.