Poverty: Share of population living on less than $10 a day in Malawi
Malawi: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $10 a day was 98.3% in 2019. ▬ Flat
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $10 a day in Malawi, 1997–2019
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 98.3% for poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day in 2019. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day in Malawi peaked at 98.3% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 95.4%, in 1997.
That places Malawi 2nd out of 120 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $10 a day in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 95.4% | — |
| 2004 | 97.9% | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 97.1% | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 97.7% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 98.3% | +0.6% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 98.3% is above the median for low income countries, which is 96.1%, 1.0× the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 98.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 93.0%, 1.1× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 95.4% | 95.4% | 95.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 97.9% | 97.9% | 97.9% | 1 |
| 2010s | 97.7% | 97.1% | 98.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 1 Burundi 98.3% compare
- 3 Madagascar 97.8% compare
- 4 Niger 97.6% compare
- 5 Mozambique 97.1% compare
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 poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day in Malawi?
- Poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day in Malawi was 98.3% in 2019, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 98.3% in 2019.
- What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 95.4% in 1997.
- How does Malawi rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day?
- Malawi ranks 2nd out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
- Is poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Poverty: Share of population living on less than $10 a day. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $10 per day.