Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Malawi
Malawi: Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) was 15.2% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Malawi, 1938–2019
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Malawi stood at 15.2%. That is the lowest value across all 29 years on record.
That represents a change of down 51.5% on the previous year and down 30.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Malawi peaked at 64.1% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 15.2%, in 2019.
Malawi ranks 51st of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 20.8% | 20.8% | 20.8% | 1 |
| 1940s | 21.5% | 21.5% | 21.5% | 1 |
| 1950s | 22.2% | 19.9% | 24.0% | 6 |
| 1960s | 32.2% | 27.8% | 36.6% | 6 |
| 1970s | 48.9% | 38.1% | 58.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 64.1% | 64.1% | 64.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 19.1% | 19.1% | 19.1% | 1 |
| 2010s | 22.9% | 15.2% | 31.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More reference data data for Malawi
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- Summer temperature anomalies 0.606 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.3659 °C (2026)
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- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.9529 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -0.5269 °C (2025)
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- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Malawi?
- Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Malawi was 15.2% in 2019, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest income share of the richest 1% (before tax) recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 64.1% in 1997.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 1% (before tax) recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.2% in 2019.
- How does Malawi rank for income share of the richest 1% (before tax)?
- Malawi ranks 51st out of 113 countries with data for 2019.
- Is income share of the richest 1% (before tax) rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Income share of the richest 1% (before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of income received by the richest 1%. Income here is measured before taxes and benefits.