Poverty: Share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Malawi
Malawi: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $4.20 a day was 87.3% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $4.20 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 87.3% for poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in 2019. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.6% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Malawi peaked at 87.3% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 79.8%, 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 $4.20 a day in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 79.8% | — |
| 2004 | 86.7% | +8.7% |
| 2010 | 85.2% | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 85.1% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 87.3% | +2.6% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 87.3% is above the median for low income countries, which is 64.6%, 1.4× the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 87.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 62.1%, 1.4× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 79.8% | 79.8% | 79.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 86.7% | 86.7% | 86.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 85.9% | 85.1% | 87.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 1 Mozambique 89.1% compare
- 3 Burundi 87.2% compare
- 4 Madagascar 83.9% compare
- 5 Zambia 81.4% 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 $4.20 a day in Malawi?
- Poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Malawi was 87.3% 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 $4.20 a day recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 87.3% in 2019.
- What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 79.8% in 1997.
- How does Malawi rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day?
- Malawi ranks 2nd out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
- Is poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 $4.20 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 $4.20 per day.