Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) in Malawi
Malawi: Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) was 22.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Value of imported goods as a share of GDP in Malawi, 1980–2025
Source: International Monetary Fund (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 22.5% for value of imported goods as a share of gdp in 2025.
That represents a change of down 12.2% on the previous year and down 8.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, value of imported goods as a share of gdp in Malawi peaked at 35.3% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 12.9%, in 1987.
That places Malawi 138th out of 201 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 22.0% | — |
| 1981 | 16.5% | -25.0% |
| 1982 | 14.7% | -10.4% |
| 1983 | 15.1% | +2.7% |
| 1984 | 13.8% | -8.8% |
| 1985 | 16.0% | +16.0% |
| 1986 | 13.3% | -17.2% |
| 1987 | 12.9% | -2.5% |
| 1988 | 20.3% | +57.4% |
| 1989 | 21.4% | +5.4% |
| 1990 | 21.3% | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 17.9% | -16.2% |
| 1992 | 25.7% | +43.6% |
| 1993 | 15.0% | -41.6% |
| 1994 | 30.3% | +101.8% |
| 1995 | 24.5% | -19.0% |
| 1996 | 17.1% | -30.3% |
| 1997 | 15.8% | -7.7% |
| 1998 | 21.8% | +38.4% |
| 1999 | 24.3% | +11.4% |
| 2000 | 21.0% | -13.8% |
| 2001 | 22.0% | +5.1% |
| 2002 | 13.8% | -37.5% |
| 2003 | 17.0% | +23.3% |
| 2004 | 18.4% | +8.1% |
| 2005 | 22.2% | +20.9% |
| 2006 | 22.1% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 21.4% | -3.2% |
| 2008 | 26.2% | +22.5% |
| 2009 | 23.3% | -11.1% |
| 2010 | 21.4% | -8.4% |
| 2011 | 20.8% | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 31.1% | +49.5% |
| 2013 | 35.3% | +13.6% |
| 2014 | 31.3% | -11.5% |
| 2015 | 24.7% | -21.1% |
| 2016 | 28.9% | +17.4% |
| 2017 | 28.0% | -3.3% |
| 2018 | 29.9% | +6.8% |
| 2019 | 26.6% | -11.0% |
| 2020 | 24.2% | -9.0% |
| 2021 | 24.8% | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 24.0% | -3.3% |
| 2023 | 23.5% | -2.3% |
| 2024 | 25.6% | +9.1% |
| 2025 | 22.5% | -12.2% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 22.5% is below the median for low income countries, which is 24.9%, 90% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 22.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.0%, 87% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) in Malawi changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | +101.8% | 15.0% | 30.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 16.6% | 12.9% | 22.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.4% | 15.0% | 30.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.7% | 13.8% | 26.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.8% | 20.8% | 35.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.1% | 22.5% | 25.6% | 6 |
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 value of imported goods as a share of gdp in Malawi?
- Value of imported goods as a share of gdp in Malawi was 22.5% in 2025, according to International Monetary Fund (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest value of imported goods as a share of gdp recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 35.3% in 2013.
- What is the lowest value of imported goods as a share of gdp recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.9% in 1987.
- How does Malawi rank for value of imported goods as a share of gdp?
- Malawi ranks 138th out of 201 countries with data for 2025.
- Is value of imported goods as a share of gdp rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Value of imported goods as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Value of a country’s total goods imports, including freight and insurance costs, as a percentage of a country’s gross domestic product (GDP).