Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Malawi
Malawi: Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita was 7.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
7.4%
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
178th
of 184 countries
All-time high
30.8%
in 1980
All-time low
7.4%
in 2022
Years of data
70
1954–2023
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Malawi, 1954–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Malawi is 7.4%, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and down 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Malawi peaked at 30.8% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 7.4%, in 2022.
That places Malawi 178th out of 184 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 70 years of available data.
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 | 14.3% | — |
| 1955 | 12.9% | -9.4% |
| 1956 | 16.2% | +25.3% |
| 1957 | 16.0% | -0.9% |
| 1958 | 17.1% | +6.5% |
| 1959 | 19.5% | +14.0% |
| 1960 | 18.5% | -4.9% |
| 1961 | 19.8% | +6.7% |
| 1962 | 20.8% | +5.4% |
| 1963 | 20.6% | -1.1% |
| 1964 | 19.1% | -7.4% |
| 1965 | 18.2% | -4.4% |
| 1966 | 18.9% | +3.8% |
| 1967 | 20.7% | +9.7% |
| 1968 | 20.5% | -1.2% |
| 1969 | 19.5% | -4.8% |
| 1970 | 18.9% | -3.2% |
| 1971 | 17.1% | -9.3% |
| 1972 | 19.0% | +11.3% |
| 1973 | 19.3% | +1.1% |
| 1974 | 20.9% | +8.3% |
| 1975 | 21.0% | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 21.6% | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 21.3% | -1.4% |
| 1978 | 27.3% | +28.5% |
| 1979 | 30.6% | +12.0% |
| 1980 | 30.8% | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 27.2% | -11.7% |
| 1982 | 24.5% | -9.6% |
| 1983 | 21.7% | -11.7% |
| 1984 | 20.6% | -4.9% |
| 1985 | 22.8% | +10.7% |
| 1986 | 22.6% | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 21.5% | -5.2% |
| 1988 | 20.5% | -4.7% |
| 1989 | 16.8% | -17.8% |
| 1990 | 15.4% | -8.7% |
| 1991 | 13.3% | -13.7% |
| 1992 | 13.4% | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 12.1% | -10.3% |
| 1994 | 13.3% | +10.6% |
| 1995 | 11.8% | -11.3% |
| 1996 | 9.5% | -19.6% |
| 1997 | 9.6% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 10.8% | +12.3% |
| 1999 | 10.9% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 11.4% | +5.1% |
| 2001 | 13.2% | +15.8% |
| 2002 | 12.2% | -7.9% |
| 2003 | 13.9% | +13.9% |
| 2004 | 16.2% | +16.6% |
| 2005 | 17.8% | +10.3% |
| 2006 | 13.2% | -26.0% |
| 2007 | 12.5% | -5.2% |
| 2008 | 10.2% | -18.7% |
| 2009 | 12.3% | +20.9% |
| 2010 | 8.2% | -33.2% |
| 2011 | 8.0% | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 7.9% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 8.0% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 8.6% | +7.7% |
| 2015 | 8.0% | -7.6% |
| 2016 | 8.5% | +6.6% |
| 2017 | 9.0% | +6.2% |
| 2018 | 8.7% | -3.8% |
| 2019 | 7.9% | -9.1% |
| 2020 | 8.6% | +8.7% |
| 2021 | 7.8% | -9.1% |
| 2022 | 7.4% | -5.2% |
| 2023 | 7.4% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 16.0% | 12.9% | 19.5% | 6 |
| 1960s | 19.7% | 18.2% | 20.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 21.7% | 17.1% | 30.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 22.9% | 16.8% | 30.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.0% | 9.5% | 15.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.3% | 10.2% | 17.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.3% | 7.9% | 9.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.8% | 7.4% | 8.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 175 Pakistan 8.0% compare
- 176 Somalia 7.9% compare
- 177 Switzerland 7.7% compare
- 179 India 7.4% compare
- 180 Tanzania, United Republic of 7.3% compare
- 181 Sierra Leone 6.6% compare
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)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate 51.23 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1573 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per capita 105.65 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), annual growth rate 52.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), per unit of GDP 275.46 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), per capita 184,975 current LCU per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 23.84 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2875 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Malawi?
- Share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Malawi was 7.4% in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 30.8% in 1980.
- What is the lowest share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.4% in 2022.
- How does Malawi rank for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- Malawi ranks 178th out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Government consumption divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.