Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Malawi
Malawi: Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government was 89.8% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
89.8%
Change on year
up 13.1%
World rank
122nd
of 174 countries
All-time high
100.0%
in 2017
All-time low
79.4%
in 2024
Years of data
62
1964–2025
Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Malawi, 1964–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 89.8% for percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in 2025.
That represents a change of up 13.1% on the previous year and down 9.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Malawi peaked at 100.0% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 79.4%, in 2024.
Malawi ranks 122nd of 174 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 98.2% | — |
| 1965 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 90.6% | -7.7% |
| 1982 | 90.6% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 90.6% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 90.6% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 90.6% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 90.6% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 90.6% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 90.6% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 90.6% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 90.6% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 90.6% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 98.9% | +9.1% |
| 1993 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 98.8% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 98.3% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 100.0% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 99.8% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 99.6% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 99.7% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 98.4% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 99.4% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 79.4% | -20.1% |
| 2025 | 89.8% | +13.1% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 89.8% is above the median for low income countries, which is 82.5%, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 89.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 89.9%, 100% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 98.2% | 98.2% | 98.2% | 6 |
| 1970s | 98.2% | 98.2% | 98.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 91.4% | 90.6% | 98.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 97.2% | 90.6% | 98.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 98.9% | 98.9% | 98.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 99.1% | 98.3% | 100.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 94.4% | 79.4% | 99.7% | 6 |
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 percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Malawi?
- Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Malawi was 89.8% in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest percentage of territory effectively controlled by government recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 2017.
- What is the lowest percentage of territory effectively controlled by government recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 79.4% in 2024.
- How does Malawi rank for percentage of territory effectively controlled by government?
- Malawi ranks 122nd out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is percentage of territory effectively controlled by government rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Central estimate of the percentage of territory controlled by the government.