Malawi 🇲🇼

Basic Information

• Country: Malawi
• Population: 21.6 million (2024)
• Currency: Malawian Kwacha (MWK)
• Current Top Official: President Lazarus Chakwera

Currency

Malawian Kwacha

Type of Economy

Malawi has a predominantly agricultural, low-income economy with over 80% of the population relying on farming, which contributes over 30% of GDP.

Standard of Living

• Nominal GDP (2025/2026f): ~$13.96B – $17.86B .
• High poverty rates and limited access to healthcare and education.

Key Economic Indicators

• National Debt: $8.75 billion USD
• Unemployment Rate: 5.05% of the total labor force
• Inflation Rate - 2025 : 28.4%

Imports and Exports

Top 3 Imports

• Refined Petroleum
• Fertilizers
• packaged medicaments

Top 3 Exports

• Raw Tobacco
• Dried Legumes
• Tea

Top Trading Partners

Malawi trades heavily with the European Union and regional African markets, especially for tobacco exports.

Education Level

high primary school enrollment (about 90%) but poor quality, with only 35% completing primary school and low, declining literacy rates (approx. 73%)

Natural Resources

• Agricultural land
• Freshwater
• Minerals such as uranium, bauxite, and coal

Economic Forecast

Real GDP growth is projected to be very low, at approximately 1.9%–2.0% in 2025, which is below the population growth rate and marks a fourth consecutive year of declining per capita income. High inflation, severe foreign exchange shortages, and debt distress continue to hamper economic activity, despite potential growth in the mining and agricultural sectors.