Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Malawi
Malawi: Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days was 47.3% in 2020. ▬ Flat
Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Malawi, 2000–2020
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Malawi stood at 47.3%. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Malawi peaked at 47.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 44.9%, in 2002.
Malawi ranks 61st of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 45.3% | — |
| 2001 | 45.2% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 44.9% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 45.1% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 45.2% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 45.0% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 46.4% | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 46.5% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 46.1% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 46.2% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 46.9% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 46.9% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 47.0% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 47.0% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 47.0% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 46.7% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 46.2% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 46.3% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 46.6% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 46.9% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 47.3% | +0.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 47.3% is above the median for low income countries, which is 43.7%, 1.1× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 47.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 47.9%, 99% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 45.6% | 44.9% | 46.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.7% | 46.2% | 47.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.3% | 47.3% | 47.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
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 share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Malawi?
- Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Malawi was 47.3% in 2020, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 47.3% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.9% in 2002.
- How does Malawi rank for share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days?
- Malawi ranks 61st out of 187 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Heavy episodic drinking (drinkers only) is defined as the proportion of adult drinkers (15+ years) who have had at least 60 grams or more of pure alcohol on at least one occasion in the past 30 days. A consumption of 60 grams of pure alcohol corresponds approximately to 6 standard alcoholic drinks.