Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Malawi
Malawi: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 38.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Malawi, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Malawi recorded 38.7% for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Malawi peaked at 38.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 34.8%, in 1994.
That places Malawi 144th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | 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% |
| 2025 | 38.7% | +0.2% |
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% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 141 Republic of Moldova 41.2% compare
- 142 Vanuatu 39.4% compare
- 143 Bangladesh 39.0% compare
- 145 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 37.9% compare
- 146 Senegal 35.7% compare
- 147 Kenya 35.2% 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 wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Malawi?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Malawi was 38.7% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 38.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.8% in 1994.
- How does Malawi rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Malawi ranks 144th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Wage and salaried workers (employees) are those workers who hold the type of jobs defined as "paid employment jobs," where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts that give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work.