Democracy in Malawi
Malawi: Democracy was 6 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Democracy in Malawi, 1891–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, democracy in Malawi stood at 6. That is the highest value across all 135 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy in Malawi peaked at 6 in 1994 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1891.
That places Malawi 78th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.2 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1990s | 4 | 1 | 6 | 10 |
| 2000s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 78 Albania 6 compare
- 78 Armenia 6 compare
- 78 Bhutan 6 compare
- 78 Bolivia 6 compare
- 78 Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 compare
- 78 Botswana 6 compare
- 78 Colombia 6 compare
- 78 East Timor 6 compare
- 78 Ecuador 6 compare
- 78 Gambia 6 compare
- 78 Guatemala 6 compare
- 78 Honduras 6 compare
- 78 Hungary 6 compare
- 78 India 6 compare
- 78 Indonesia 6 compare
- 78 Iraq 6 compare
- 78 Israel 6 compare
- 78 Kenya 6 compare
- 78 Lebanon 6 compare
- 78 Lesotho 6 compare
- 78 Liberia 6 compare
- 78 Malaysia 6 compare
- 78 Maldives 6 compare
- 78 Mexico 6 compare
- 78 Moldova 6 compare
- 78 Montenegro 6 compare
- 78 Nepal 6 compare
- 78 North Macedonia 6 compare
- 78 Paraguay 6 compare
- 78 Peru 6 compare
- 78 Philippines 6 compare
- 78 Senegal 6 compare
- 78 Slovakia 6 compare
- 78 Solomon Islands 6 compare
- 78 Sri Lanka 6 compare
- 78 Ukraine 6 compare
- 78 Zambia 6 compare
More reference data data for Malawi
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.0372 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.606 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.3659 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.9529 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -0.5269 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 1,313 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy in Malawi?
- Democracy in Malawi was 6 in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 6 in 1994.
- What is the lowest democracy recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1891.
- How does Malawi rank for democracy?
- Malawi ranks 78th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is democracy rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 135 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Identifies the political regime of a country. It distinguishes between non-electoral autocracies (score 0), one-party autocracies (score 1), multi-party autocracies without elected executive (score 2), multi-party autocracies (score 3), exclusive democracies (score 4), male democracies (score 5), electoral democracies (score 6), and full democracies (score 7).