A beach in Malawi

Malawi Economy

Malawi's economy in numbers:

Nominal GDP of USD 12.6 billion in 2022.

GDP per capita of USD 570 compared to the global average of USD 10,589.

Average real GDP growth of 3.5% over the last decade.

Share of the region's population
Share of the region's GDP

Economic structure:

GDP by economic sector
GDP by type of expenditure

Economic growth:

The economy recorded average annual growth of 3.5% in the decade to 2022. To read more about GDP growth in Malawi, go to our dedicated page.

Fiscal policy:

Malawi's fiscal deficit averaged 2.3% of GDP in the decade to 2022. Find out more on our dedicated page.

Inflation:

Inflation averaged 17.1% in the decade to 2022. Go to our Malawi inflation page for extra insight.

Monetary Policy:

Malawi's monetary policy rate ended 2022 at 18.00%, down from 25.00% a decade earlier. See our Malawi monetary policy page for additional details.

Exchange Rate:

From end-2012 to end-2022 the kwacha weakened by 68.4% vs the U.S. dollar. For more info on the kwacha, click here.
Projections out to 2033.

26 indicators covered including both annual and quarterly frequencies.

Consensus Forecasts based on a panel of 5 expert analysts.

Want to get insight on the economic outlook for Malawi in the coming years? FocusEconomics collects projections out to 2033 on 26 economic indicators for Malawi from a panel of 5 analysts at the leading national, regional and global forecast institutions. These projections are then validated by our in-house team of economists and data analysts, and averaged to provide one Consensus Forecast you can rely on for each indicator. This means you avoid the risk of relying on out of date, biased or outlier forecasts. Our Consensus Forecasts can be visualized in whichever way best suits your needs, including via interactive online dashboards , direct data delivery and executive-style reports which combine analysts' projections with timely written analysis from our in-house team of economists on the latest developments in the Malawi economy. To download a sample report on the Malawi's economy, click here . To get in touch with our team for more information, fill in the form at the bottom of this page .

Malawi Economic Data

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Population (million) 19.7 20.3 20.9 21.5 22.1
GDP (USD bn) 10.0 11.2 11.9 12.5 12.6
GDP per Capita (USD) 505 552 568 581 570
GDP (LCU bn) 7,236 8,220 8,815 9,976 11,801
Economic Growth (Nominal GDP, ann. var. %) 10.8 13.6 7.2 13.2 18.3
Economic Growth (GDP, ann. var. %) 4.4 5.4 0.9 4.6 0.8
Fiscal Balance (% of GDP) -1.6 -1.5 -5.0 -4.6 -4.6
Public Debt (% of GDP) 43.9 45.3 54.8 61.5 75.2
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, eop) 9.9 11.5 7.6 11.5 25.4
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, aop) 12.4 9.4 8.6 9.3 21.0
Policy Rate (%, eop) 16.00 13.50 12.00 12.00 18.00
Exchange Rate (MWK per USD, eop) 730 737 771 814 1,027
Exchange Rate (LCU per USD, aop) 726 734 744 799 938
Current Account Balance (USD bn) -1.7 -1.3 -1.5 -1.5 -
Current Account Balance (% of GDP) -16.9 -11.8 -12.4 -12.4 -
Merchandise Trade Balance (USD bn) -1.7 -1.7 -1.8 -1.9 -
Merchandise Exports (USD bn) 0.9 1.1 0.8 1.1 -
Merchandise Imports (USD bn) 2.6 2.8 2.6 3.0 -
Merchandise Exports (ann. var. %) 3.9 13.6 -23.0 30.2 -
Merchandise Imports (ann. var. %) 4.7 7.8 -6.5 14.0 -
Foreign Direct Investment (USD bn) 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.2
International Reserves (USD bn) 0.8 0.8 0.6 - -
International Reserves (months of imports) 3.5 3.6 2.7 - -
External Debt (USD bn) 2.3 2.4 2.9 3.2 3.3
External Debt (% of GDP) 22.7 21.7 24.8 25.6 26.5

Free Sample Report

Interested in Malawi economic reports, analysis and data? FocusEconomics provides data, forecasts and analysis for hundreds of countries and commodities. Request your free sample report now.

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