Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Malawi
Malawi: Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes was 126,000 trips in 2021. ▲ Rising
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Malawi, 1995–2021
Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in trips.
Analysis
In 2021, arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Malawi stood at 126,000 trips.
That represents a change of up 223.1% on the previous year and down 59.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Malawi peaked at 556,000 trips in 2019 and was at its lowest, 39,000 trips, in 2020.
Malawi ranks 138th of 179 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Malawi, year by year
| Year | trips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 109,000 trips | — |
| 1996 | 110,000 trips | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 117,000 trips | +6.4% |
| 1998 | 114,000 trips | -2.6% |
| 1999 | 132,000 trips | +15.8% |
| 2000 | 103,000 trips | -22.0% |
| 2001 | 122,000 trips | +18.4% |
| 2002 | 177,000 trips | +45.1% |
| 2003 | 215,000 trips | +21.5% |
| 2004 | 219,000 trips | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 210,000 trips | -4.1% |
| 2006 | 326,000 trips | +55.2% |
| 2007 | 429,000 trips | +31.6% |
| 2008 | 370,000 trips | -13.8% |
| 2009 | 373,000 trips | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 311,000 trips | -16.6% |
| 2011 | 307,000 trips | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 283,600 trips | -7.6% |
| 2013 | 320,400 trips | +13.0% |
| 2014 | 240,100 trips | -25.1% |
| 2015 | 215,800 trips | -10.1% |
| 2016 | 236,300 trips | +9.5% |
| 2017 | 264,100 trips | +11.8% |
| 2018 | 274,800 trips | +4.1% |
| 2019 | 556,000 trips | +102.3% |
| 2020 | 39,000 trips | -93.0% |
| 2021 | 126,000 trips | +223.1% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 126,000 trips is below the median for low income countries, which is 166,350 trips, 76% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 126,000 trips is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 228,750 trips, 55% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Malawi changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +223.1% | 39,000 trips | 126,000 trips |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 116,400 trips | 109,000 trips | 132,000 trips | 5 |
| 2000s | 254,400 trips | 103,000 trips | 429,000 trips | 10 |
| 2010s | 300,910 trips | 215,800 trips | 556,000 trips | 10 |
| 2020s | 82,500 trips | 39,000 trips | 126,000 trips | 2 |
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 arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Malawi?
- Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes in Malawi was 126,000 trips in 2021, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 556,000 trips in 2019.
- What is the lowest arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 39,000 trips in 2020.
- How does Malawi rank for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes?
- Malawi ranks 138th out of 179 countries with data for 2021.
- Is arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 59.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of international trips where the main purpose is personal (leisure, visiting friends and relatives, health, etc.) and the visitor stays overnight.