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

Latest (2019)
98.3%
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
2nd
of 120 countries
All-time high
98.3%
in 2019
All-time low
95.4%
in 1997
Years of data
5
1997–2019

Poverty: Share of population living on less than $10 a day in Malawi, 1997–2019

0204060801001997200820191997: 95.4 %2004: 97.9 %2010: 97.1 %2016: 97.7 %2019: 98.3 %

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%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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. 1 Burundi 98.3% compare
  2. 3 Madagascar 97.8% compare
  3. 4 Niger 97.6% compare
  4. 5 Mozambique 97.1% compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More reference data data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

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

Indicator
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $10 a day
Unit
%
Source
World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
120 places, 2,148 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed

Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $10 per day.