Palma ratio (before tax) in Malawi
Malawi: Palma ratio (before tax) was 5.36 in 2019. ▲ Rising
Palma ratio (before tax) in Malawi, 1938–2019
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for palma ratio (before tax) in Malawi is 5.36, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 29 years on record.
That represents a change of down 32.9% on the previous year and down 31.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, palma ratio (before tax) in Malawi peaked at 23.68 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 5.36, in 2019.
That places Malawi 36th out of 113 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Palma ratio (before tax) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1938 | 7.37 | — |
| 1945 | 7.66 | +4.0% |
| 1953 | 8.47 | +10.5% |
| 1954 | 8.14 | -3.8% |
| 1955 | 8.52 | +4.6% |
| 1956 | 8.97 | +5.3% |
| 1957 | 9.38 | +4.6% |
| 1958 | 9.35 | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 10.37 | +10.9% |
| 1965 | 11.03 | +6.4% |
| 1966 | 10.6 | -3.9% |
| 1967 | 11.17 | +5.4% |
| 1968 | 12.04 | +7.8% |
| 1969 | 11.43 | -5.0% |
| 1970 | 12.15 | +6.3% |
| 1971 | 13.17 | +8.3% |
| 1972 | 14.6 | +10.8% |
| 1973 | 13.34 | -8.6% |
| 1974 | 14.53 | +9.0% |
| 1975 | 16.08 | +10.7% |
| 1976 | 14.73 | -8.4% |
| 1977 | 16.12 | +9.4% |
| 1978 | 17.87 | +10.8% |
| 1979 | 16.49 | -7.7% |
| 1997 | 23.68 | +43.7% |
| 2004 | 5.96 | -74.8% |
| 2010 | 7.84 | +31.4% |
| 2016 | 7.99 | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 5.36 | -32.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 5.36 is above the median for low income countries, which is 5.07, 1.1× the median. (12 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 5.36 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.07, 1.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Palma ratio (before tax) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | -74.8% | 23.68 | 5.96 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 7.37 | 7.37 | 7.37 | 1 |
| 1940s | 7.66 | 7.66 | 7.66 | 1 |
| 1950s | 8.8 | 8.14 | 9.38 | 6 |
| 1960s | 11.11 | 10.37 | 12.04 | 6 |
| 1970s | 14.91 | 12.15 | 17.87 | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.68 | 23.68 | 23.68 | 1 |
| 2000s | 5.96 | 5.96 | 5.96 | 1 |
| 2010s | 7.06 | 5.36 | 7.99 | 3 |
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 palma ratio (before tax) in Malawi?
- Palma ratio (before tax) in Malawi was 5.36 in 2019, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest palma ratio (before tax) recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 23.68 in 1997.
- What is the lowest palma ratio (before tax) recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.36 in 2019.
- How does Malawi rank for palma ratio (before tax)?
- Malawi ranks 36th out of 113 countries with data for 2019.
- Is palma ratio (before tax) rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.6%. 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 Palma ratio (before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Palma ratio is a measure of inequality that divides the share received by the richest 10% by the share of the poorest 40%. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of income before taxes and benefits.