Statizoid

Competitive elections in Malawi

Malawi: Competitive elections was 1 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 197 countries
All-time high
1
in 1994
All-time low
0
in 1891
Years of data
135
1891–2025

Competitive elections in Malawi, 1891–2025

00.20.40.60.81189119582025

Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Malawi recorded 1 for competitive elections in 2025. That is the highest value across all 135 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, competitive elections in Malawi peaked at 1 in 1994 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1891.

Malawi ranks 1st of 197 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1890s 0 0 0 9
1900s 0 0 0 10
1910s 0 0 0 10
1920s 0 0 0 10
1930s 0 0 0 10
1940s 0 0 0 10
1950s 0 0 0 10
1960s 0 0 0 10
1970s 0 0 0 10
1980s 0 0 0 10
1990s 0.6 0 1 10
2000s 1 1 1 10
2010s 1 1 1 10
2020s 1 1 1 6

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See the full ranking of 198 places →

More reference data data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is competitive elections in Malawi?
Competitive elections in Malawi was 1 in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest competitive elections recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 1 in 1994.
What is the lowest competitive elections recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1891.
How does Malawi rank for competitive elections?
Malawi ranks 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
Is competitive elections rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Malawi data come from?
The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Competitive elections. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 135 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Competitive elections
Source
Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
198 places, 32,485 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Whether the outcomes of elections are uncertain because their timing is not violated, voters are not systematically coerced, and election fraud is not consequential.