Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank in Malawi
Malawi: Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank was 13.7% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank in Malawi, 1997–2019
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 13.7% for income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of down 52.8% on the previous year and down 33.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in Malawi peaked at 61.3% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 13.7%, in 2019.
That places Malawi 51st out of 109 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 61.3% | — |
| 2004 | 18.4% | -69.9% |
| 2010 | 20.6% | +11.7% |
| 2016 | 29.0% | +41.0% |
| 2019 | 13.7% | -52.8% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 13.7% is below the median for low income countries, which is 13.9%, 98% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 13.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13.8%, 99% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 61.3% | 61.3% | 61.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 18.4% | 18.4% | 18.4% | 1 |
| 2010s | 21.1% | 13.7% | 29.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
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 income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in Malawi?
- Income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in Malawi was 13.7% in 2019, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 61.3% in 1997.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.7% in 2019.
- How does Malawi rank for income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank?
- Malawi ranks 51st out of 109 countries with data for 2019.
- Is income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of income received by the richest 1% of the population. Income here is measured after taxes and benefits.