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Private Civil Liberties Index in Malawi

Malawi: Private Civil Liberties Index was 0.819 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.819
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
72nd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.869
in 2021
All-time low
0.072
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Private Civil Liberties Index in Malawi, 1900–2025

00.20.40.60.8190019622025

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

Analysis

Malawi recorded 0.819 for private civil liberties index in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and down 4.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, private civil liberties index in Malawi peaked at 0.869 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.072, in 1900.

Malawi ranks 72nd of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Private Civil Liberties Index in Malawi, year by year

Year Value Change
1900 0.072 —
1901 0.072 +0.0%
1902 0.072 +0.0%
1903 0.072 +0.0%
1904 0.072 +0.0%
1905 0.072 +0.0%
1906 0.072 +0.0%
1907 0.072 +0.0%
1908 0.072 +0.0%
1909 0.072 +0.0%
1910 0.072 +0.0%
1911 0.072 +0.0%
1912 0.072 +0.0%
1913 0.072 +0.0%
1914 0.072 +0.0%
1915 0.072 +0.0%
1916 0.072 +0.0%
1917 0.072 +0.0%
1918 0.072 +0.0%
1919 0.072 +0.0%
1920 0.072 +0.0%
1921 0.072 +0.0%
1922 0.072 +0.0%
1923 0.072 +0.0%
1924 0.072 +0.0%
1925 0.072 +0.0%
1926 0.072 +0.0%
1927 0.072 +0.0%
1928 0.085 +18.1%
1929 0.085 +0.0%
1930 0.085 +0.0%
1931 0.085 +0.0%
1932 0.085 +0.0%
1933 0.085 +0.0%
1934 0.085 +0.0%
1935 0.085 +0.0%
1936 0.085 +0.0%
1937 0.085 +0.0%
1938 0.085 +0.0%
1939 0.085 +0.0%
1940 0.085 +0.0%
1941 0.085 +0.0%
1942 0.085 +0.0%
1943 0.085 +0.0%
1944 0.082 -3.5%
1945 0.082 +0.0%
1946 0.082 +0.0%
1947 0.082 +0.0%
1948 0.082 +0.0%
1949 0.082 +0.0%
1950 0.082 +0.0%
1951 0.082 +0.0%
1952 0.082 +0.0%
1953 0.082 +0.0%
1954 0.082 +0.0%
1955 0.082 +0.0%
1956 0.082 +0.0%
1957 0.082 +0.0%
1958 0.082 +0.0%
1959 0.082 +0.0%
1960 0.091 +11.0%
1961 0.115 +26.4%
1962 0.115 +0.0%
1963 0.115 +0.0%
1964 0.167 +45.2%
1965 0.214 +28.1%
1966 0.192 -10.3%
1967 0.192 +0.0%
1968 0.192 +0.0%
1969 0.192 +0.0%
1970 0.192 +0.0%
1971 0.204 +6.2%
1972 0.204 +0.0%
1973 0.204 +0.0%
1974 0.203 -0.5%
1975 0.214 +5.4%
1976 0.214 +0.0%
1977 0.214 +0.0%
1978 0.214 +0.0%
1979 0.214 +0.0%
1980 0.214 +0.0%
1981 0.214 +0.0%
1982 0.214 +0.0%
1983 0.214 +0.0%
1984 0.214 +0.0%
1985 0.214 +0.0%
1986 0.214 +0.0%
1987 0.214 +0.0%
1988 0.214 +0.0%
1989 0.214 +0.0%
1990 0.214 +0.0%
1991 0.211 -1.4%
1992 0.211 +0.0%
1993 0.276 +30.8%
1994 0.427 +54.7%
1995 0.614 +43.8%
1996 0.68 +10.7%
1997 0.68 +0.0%
1998 0.68 +0.0%
1999 0.68 +0.0%
2000 0.704 +3.5%
2001 0.804 +14.2%
2002 0.836 +4.0%
2003 0.836 +0.0%
2004 0.836 +0.0%
2005 0.82 -1.9%
2006 0.82 +0.0%
2007 0.815 -0.6%
2008 0.824 +1.1%
2009 0.824 +0.0%
2010 0.843 +2.3%
2011 0.84 -0.4%
2012 0.843 +0.4%
2013 0.838 -0.6%
2014 0.838 +0.0%
2015 0.856 +2.1%
2016 0.822 -4.0%
2017 0.831 +1.1%
2018 0.834 +0.4%
2019 0.847 +1.6%
2020 0.867 +2.4%
2021 0.869 +0.2%
2022 0.779 -10.4%
2023 0.815 +4.6%
2024 0.808 -0.9%
2025 0.819 +1.4%

Malawi compared with similar countries

  • Malawi's 0.819 is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.399, 2.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Malawi's 0.819 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.682, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0.072 0.072 0.072 10
1910s 0.072 0.072 0.072 10
1920s 0.0746 0.072 0.085 10
1930s 0.085 0.085 0.085 10
1940s 0.0832 0.082 0.085 10
1950s 0.082 0.082 0.082 10
1960s 0.1585 0.091 0.214 10
1970s 0.2077 0.192 0.214 10
1980s 0.214 0.214 0.214 10
1990s 0.4673 0.211 0.68 10
2000s 0.8119 0.704 0.836 10
2010s 0.8392 0.822 0.856 10
2020s 0.8262 0.779 0.869 6

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 69 Sierra Leone 0.824 compare
  2. 70 Vanuatu 0.823 compare
  3. 71 East Timor 0.821 compare
  4. 73 Lesotho 0.817 compare
  5. 74 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.814 compare
  6. 74 Mongolia 0.814 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is private civil liberties index in Malawi?
Private civil liberties index in Malawi was 0.819 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest private civil liberties index recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 0.869 in 2021.
What is the lowest private civil liberties index recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 0.072 in 1900.
How does Malawi rank for private civil liberties index?
Malawi ranks 72nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is private civil liberties index rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Malawi data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Private Civil Liberties Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Private Civil Liberties Index in Malawi. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 28 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/private-civil-liberties-index/malawi/

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About this data

Indicator
Private Civil Liberties Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 30,494 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate the extent to which people are free from forced labor, have property rights, and enjoy freedom of movement and religion.