Current account balance as a proportion of GDP (%) in Malawi
Malawi: Current account balance as a proportion of GDP (%) was -18.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Current account balance as a proportion of GDP in Malawi, 2000–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, current account balance as a proportion of gdp in Malawi stood at -18.8%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 19.3% on the previous year and down 46.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, current account balance as a proportion of gdp in Malawi peaked at -2.4% in 2001 and was at its lowest, -18.8%, in 2024.
Malawi ranks 192nd of 205 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Current account balance as a proportion of GDP (%) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | -2.9% | — |
| 2001 | -2.4% | -17.1% |
| 2002 | -3.9% | +64.4% |
| 2003 | -5.3% | +35.2% |
| 2004 | -7.5% | +40.5% |
| 2005 | -9.5% | +27.1% |
| 2006 | -5.3% | -44.7% |
| 2007 | -6.5% | +23.0% |
| 2008 | -9.0% | +38.2% |
| 2009 | -6.0% | -32.6% |
| 2010 | -9.6% | +58.6% |
| 2011 | -9.8% | +2.0% |
| 2012 | -8.5% | -13.0% |
| 2013 | -15.4% | +81.3% |
| 2014 | -12.8% | -16.7% |
| 2015 | -11.5% | -10.0% |
| 2016 | -12.7% | +10.1% |
| 2017 | -17.4% | +37.0% |
| 2018 | -17.3% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | -12.0% | -30.7% |
| 2020 | -13.9% | +16.5% |
| 2021 | -15.5% | +11.3% |
| 2022 | -18.3% | +18.4% |
| 2023 | -15.7% | -14.2% |
| 2024 | -18.8% | +19.3% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's -18.8% is below the median for low income countries, which is -7.7%, 2.4× the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Malawi's -18.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -4.1%, 4.5× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | -5.8% | -9.5% | -2.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | -12.7% | -17.4% | -8.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | -16.5% | -18.8% | -13.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More economy & growth data for Malawi
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate -14.03 % change on previous year (2024)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.07 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.6 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate -12.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 0.0151 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -16.34 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 0.0111 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is current account balance as a proportion of gdp in Malawi?
- Current account balance as a proportion of gdp in Malawi was -18.8% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest current account balance as a proportion of gdp recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was -2.4% in 2001.
- What is the lowest current account balance as a proportion of gdp recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was -18.8% in 2024.
- How does Malawi rank for current account balance as a proportion of gdp?
- Malawi ranks 192nd out of 205 countries with data for 2024.
- Is current account balance as a proportion of gdp rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 46.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Current account balance as a proportion of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).