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.
Employment by status in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 34.9% | — |
| 1992 | 34.9% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 34.9% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 34.8% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 35.0% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 35.2% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 35.5% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 35.7% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 35.9% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 36.0% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 36.0% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 36.0% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 36.0% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 36.0% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 36.1% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 36.2% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 36.4% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 36.6% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 36.9% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 37.1% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 37.3% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 37.4% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 37.6% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 37.7% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 37.8% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 37.9% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 38.0% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 38.0% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 38.2% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 38.1% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 38.5% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 38.6% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 38.6% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 38.7% | +0.1% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 38.7% is above the median for low income countries, which is 18.4%, 2.1× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 38.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.5%, 1.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
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
- 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 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.