Centralization of Political Power Index in Malawi

Malawi: Centralization of Political Power Index was 0.193 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
0.193
Change on year
up 17.7%
World rank
116th
of 173 countries
All-time high
0.79
in 1900
All-time low
0.138
in 2023
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Centralization of Political Power Index in Malawi, 1900–2025

0.20.40.60.8190019622025

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

Analysis

In 2025, centralization of political power index in Malawi stood at 0.193.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 17.7% on the previous year and down 15.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, centralization of political power index in Malawi peaked at 0.79 in 1900 and was at its lowest, 0.138, in 2023.

That places Malawi 116th out of 173 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 126 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0.7693 0.721 0.79 10
1910s 0.721 0.721 0.721 10
1920s 0.721 0.721 0.721 10
1930s 0.721 0.721 0.721 10
1940s 0.721 0.721 0.721 10
1950s 0.721 0.721 0.721 10
1960s 0.6565 0.584 0.721 10
1970s 0.6497 0.647 0.65 10
1980s 0.65 0.65 0.65 10
1990s 0.3919 0.211 0.664 10
2000s 0.2189 0.207 0.223 10
2010s 0.2266 0.209 0.25 10
2020s 0.1672 0.138 0.193 6

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 113 Greece 0.202 compare
  2. 114 Singapore 0.198 compare
  3. 115 Solomon Islands 0.197 compare
  4. 117 Poland 0.19 compare
  5. 118 Namibia 0.184 compare
  6. 119 Kenya 0.18 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is centralization of political power index in Malawi?
Centralization of political power index in Malawi was 0.193 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest centralization of political power index recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 0.79 in 1900.
What is the lowest centralization of political power index recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 0.138 in 2023.
How does Malawi rank for centralization of political power index?
Malawi ranks 116th out of 173 countries with data for 2025.
Is centralization of political power index rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malawi data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Centralization of Political Power 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
Centralization of Political Power Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 29,802 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of the extent to which the executive is unconstrained by the legislature, judiciary, electoral management body, and other oversight.