Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Malawi
Malawi: Tonne-kilometers of air freight was 590.05 million ton-km in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2021)
590.05 million ton-km
Change on year
up 584.2%
World rank
162nd
of 180 countries
All-time high
6.80 million million ton-km
in 1978
All-time low
86.24 million ton-km
in 2020
Years of data
52
1970–2021
Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Malawi, 1970–2021
Source: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in million ton-km.
Analysis
In 2021, tonne-kilometers of air freight in Malawi stood at 590.05 million ton-km.
The figure is up 584.2% on the previous year and down 99.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tonne-kilometers of air freight in Malawi peaked at 6.80 million million ton-km in 1978 and was at its lowest, 86.24 million ton-km, in 2020.
Malawi ranks 162nd of 180 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Malawi, year by year
| Year | million ton-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 400,000 million ton-km | — |
| 1971 | 500,000 million ton-km | +25.0% |
| 1972 | 600,000 million ton-km | +20.0% |
| 1973 | 800,000 million ton-km | +33.3% |
| 1974 | 1.00 million million ton-km | +25.0% |
| 1975 | 3.40 million million ton-km | +240.0% |
| 1976 | 4.50 million million ton-km | +32.4% |
| 1977 | 6.60 million million ton-km | +46.7% |
| 1978 | 6.80 million million ton-km | +3.0% |
| 1979 | 4.70 million million ton-km | -30.9% |
| 1980 | 800,000 million ton-km | -83.0% |
| 1981 | 1.00 million million ton-km | +25.0% |
| 1982 | 1.20 million million ton-km | +20.0% |
| 1983 | 700,000 million ton-km | -41.7% |
| 1984 | 1.00 million million ton-km | +42.9% |
| 1985 | 800,000 million ton-km | -20.0% |
| 1986 | 600,000 million ton-km | -25.0% |
| 1987 | 600,000 million ton-km | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 700,000 million ton-km | +16.7% |
| 1989 | 900,000 million ton-km | +28.6% |
| 1990 | 900,000 million ton-km | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 1.40 million million ton-km | +55.6% |
| 1992 | 1.60 million million ton-km | +14.3% |
| 1993 | 2.90 million million ton-km | +81.2% |
| 1994 | 3.30 million million ton-km | +13.8% |
| 1995 | 3.50 million million ton-km | +6.1% |
| 1996 | 3.50 million million ton-km | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 3.90 million million ton-km | +11.4% |
| 1998 | 3.50 million million ton-km | -10.3% |
| 1999 | 800,000 million ton-km | -77.1% |
| 2000 | 800,000 million ton-km | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 798,000 million ton-km | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 1.25 million million ton-km | +56.1% |
| 2003 | 1.18 million million ton-km | -5.6% |
| 2004 | 1.29 million million ton-km | +9.6% |
| 2005 | 1.36 million million ton-km | +5.8% |
| 2006 | 1.60 million million ton-km | +17.4% |
| 2007 | 1.44 million million ton-km | -10.2% |
| 2008 | 1.59 million million ton-km | +10.5% |
| 2009 | 1.38 million million ton-km | -12.9% |
| 2010 | 554,163 million ton-km | -60.0% |
| 2011 | 509,000 million ton-km | -8.1% |
| 2012 | 317,003 million ton-km | -37.7% |
| 2013 | 5,484 million ton-km | -98.3% |
| 2014 | 5,484 million ton-km | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 5,468 million ton-km | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 7,250 million ton-km | +32.6% |
| 2017 | 10,880 million ton-km | +50.1% |
| 2018 | 10,880 million ton-km | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 2,464 million ton-km | -77.4% |
| 2020 | 86.24 million ton-km | -96.5% |
| 2021 | 590.05 million ton-km | +584.2% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 590.05 million ton-km is below the median for low income countries, which is 375,460 million ton-km, 0% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 590.05 million ton-km is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 639,841 million ton-km, 0% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Malawi changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +584.2% | 86.24 million ton-km | 590.05 million ton-km |
| 1975 | +240.0% | 1.00 million million ton-km | 3.40 million million ton-km |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.93 million million ton-km | 400,000 million ton-km | 6.80 million million ton-km | 10 |
| 1980s | 830,000 million ton-km | 600,000 million ton-km | 1.20 million million ton-km | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.53 million million ton-km | 800,000 million ton-km | 3.90 million million ton-km | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.27 million million ton-km | 798,000 million ton-km | 1.60 million million ton-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 142,807 million ton-km | 2,464 million ton-km | 554,163 million ton-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 338.15 million ton-km | 86.24 million ton-km | 590.05 million ton-km | 2 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 159 North Korea 7,500 million ton-km compare
- 160 Benin 6,443 million ton-km compare
- 161 Samoa 5,954 million ton-km compare
- 163 Namibia 290.48 million ton-km compare
- 164 Albania 0 million ton-km compare
- 164 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 million ton-km compare
- 164 Dominican Republic 0 million ton-km compare
- 164 Estonia 0 million ton-km compare
- 164 Gabon 0 million ton-km compare
- 164 Gambia 0 million ton-km compare
- 164 Ghana 0 million ton-km compare
- 164 Iraq 0 million ton-km compare
- 164 Jamaica 0 million ton-km compare
- 164 Mali 0 million ton-km compare
- 164 Mauritania 0 million ton-km compare
- 164 Monaco 0 million ton-km
- 164 North Macedonia 0 million ton-km compare
- 164 Rwanda 0 million ton-km compare
- 164 Sierra Leone 0 million ton-km compare
- 164 Slovakia 0 million ton-km compare
- 164 Somalia 0 million ton-km compare
More reference data data for Malawi
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1596 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3426 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5353 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.6012 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.87 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tonne-kilometers of air freight in Malawi?
- Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Malawi was 590.05 million ton-km in 2021, according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest tonne-kilometers of air freight recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 6.80 million million ton-km in 1978.
- What is the lowest tonne-kilometers of air freight recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 86.24 million ton-km in 2020.
- How does Malawi rank for tonne-kilometers of air freight?
- Malawi ranks 162nd out of 180 countries with data for 2021.
- Is tonne-kilometers of air freight rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 99.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Tonne-kilometers of air freight. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Air freight is the volume of freight, express, and diplomatic bags carried on each flight stage (operation of an aircraft from takeoff to its next landing), measured in metric tonnes times kilometers traveled.