Current account balance in Malawi
Malawi: Current account balance was -18.8% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Current account balance in Malawi, 1980–2024
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for current account balance in Malawi is -18.8%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is down 19.4% on the previous year and down 46.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, current account balance in Malawi peaked at -0.2% in 1998 and was at its lowest, -18.8%, in 2024.
Malawi ranks 186th of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Current account balance in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | -14.4% | — |
| 1981 | -8.1% | -43.9% |
| 1982 | -6.5% | -19.5% |
| 1983 | -7.3% | +13.0% |
| 1984 | -2.4% | -67.7% |
| 1985 | -7.7% | +223.3% |
| 1986 | -4.9% | -35.8% |
| 1987 | -3.5% | -28.5% |
| 1988 | -4.3% | +22.9% |
| 1989 | -2.2% | -48.8% |
| 1990 | -3.1% | +42.2% |
| 1991 | -7.1% | +125.5% |
| 1992 | -10.9% | +53.2% |
| 1993 | -5.5% | -49.5% |
| 1994 | -10.5% | +91.2% |
| 1995 | -3.8% | -63.5% |
| 1996 | -4.4% | +15.7% |
| 1997 | -7.1% | +60.5% |
| 1998 | -0.2% | -97.6% |
| 1999 | -6.1% | +3448.9% |
| 2000 | -2.9% | -52.5% |
| 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% | +19.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | -6.1% | -14.4% | -2.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | -5.9% | -10.9% | -0.2% | 10 |
| 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
- 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)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 2 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.1481 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 99.42 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), annual 2 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 101.32 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 68,036 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 45.12 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.4866 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is current account balance in Malawi?
- Current account balance in Malawi was -18.8% in 2024, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest current account balance recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was -0.2% in 1998.
- What is the lowest current account balance recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was -18.8% in 2024.
- How does Malawi rank for current account balance?
- Malawi ranks 186th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is current account balance rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 46.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Current account balance (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Balance of current transactions (transactions in goods and services, earned income and transfer income) between residents and non-residents. The term current account balance is used in the external accounts and is expressed from the perspective of resident units. The term current external balance is used in the national accounts and is expressed from the perspective of the non-resident units, and therefore with the opposite sign. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.