Free and Fair Elections Index in Malawi

Malawi: Free and Fair Elections Index was 0.596 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.596
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
84th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.702
in 1962
All-time low
0
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Free and Fair Elections Index in Malawi, 1900–2025

00.20.40.60.8190019622025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, free and fair elections index in Malawi stood at 0.596.

That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and up 36.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, free and fair elections index in Malawi peaked at 0.702 in 1962 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.

That places Malawi 84th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
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 0.551 0 0.702 10
1970s 0.4952 0.249 0.623 10
1980s 0.2924 0.288 0.296 10
1990s 0.5636 0.288 0.692 10
2000s 0.3713 0.282 0.437 10
2010s 0.4591 0.372 0.506 10
2020s 0.5805 0.47 0.608 6

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 82 Malaysia 0.598 compare
  2. 83 Hungary 0.597 compare
  3. 85 Jordan 0.592 compare
  4. 85 Liberia 0.592 compare
  5. 87 Mongolia 0.586 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is free and fair elections index in Malawi?
Free and fair elections index in Malawi was 0.596 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest free and fair elections index recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 0.702 in 1962.
What is the lowest free and fair elections index recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
How does Malawi rank for free and fair elections index?
Malawi ranks 84th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is free and fair elections index rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is up 36.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Malawi data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Free and Fair Elections Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Free and Fair Elections Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 30,402 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of the extent to which registration fraud, systematic irregularities, government intimidation of the opposition, vote buying, and election violence are absent, and the election management body is autonomous and has enough staff and resources.