Civil liberties rating in Malawi
Malawi: Civil liberties rating was 3 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
3
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
97th
of 199 countries
All-time high
7
in 1978
All-time low
3
in 1994
Years of data
53
1972–2025
Civil liberties rating in Malawi, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, civil liberties rating in Malawi stood at 3. That is the lowest value across all 53 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil liberties rating in Malawi peaked at 7 in 1978 and was at its lowest, 3, in 1994.
That places Malawi 97th out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Civil liberties rating in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 6 | — |
| 1973 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 1979 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 1990 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 1993 | 5 | -28.6% |
| 1994 | 3 | -40.0% |
| 1995 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 2003 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 2007 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 2008 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 2016 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 3 | +0.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 3 is below the median for low income countries, which is 6, 50% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 3 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5, 60% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.25 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 1980s | 6.89 | 6 | 7 | 9 |
| 1990s | 4.2 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.7 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.5 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 2020s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 97 Albania 3 compare
- 97 Benin 3 compare
- 97 Bhutan 3 compare
- 97 Bolivia 3 compare
- 97 Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 compare
- 97 Brazil 3 compare
- 97 Colombia 3 compare
- 97 Dominican Republic 3 compare
- 97 East Timor 3 compare
- 97 Ecuador 3 compare
- 97 Hungary 3 compare
- 97 Israel 3 compare
- 97 Lesotho 3 compare
- 97 Moldova 3 compare
- 97 Montenegro 3 compare
- 97 Nauru 3 compare
- 97 North Macedonia 3 compare
- 97 Papua New Guinea 3 compare
- 97 Paraguay 3 compare
- 97 Peru 3 compare
- 97 Senegal 3 compare
- 97 Serbia 3 compare
- 97 Sierra Leone 3 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 civil liberties rating in Malawi?
- Civil liberties rating in Malawi was 3 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil liberties rating recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 7 in 1978.
- What is the lowest civil liberties rating recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 in 1994.
- How does Malawi rank for civil liberties rating?
- Malawi ranks 97th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil liberties rating rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Civil liberties rating. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Identifies the extent of freedom of expression and association, the rule of law, and personal autonomy. Lower ratings indicate more liberties.