Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of GDP in Malawi
Malawi: Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of GDP was 0.2% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of GDP in Malawi, 1995–2023
Source: UN Tourism (2025); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 0.2% for spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 29 years on record.
The figure is down 4.9% on the previous year and down 45.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp in Malawi peaked at 1.6% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2023.
That places Malawi 177th out of 191 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of GDP in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 1.1% | — |
| 1996 | 0.9% | -13.7% |
| 1997 | 0.8% | -11.6% |
| 1998 | 1.0% | +18.9% |
| 1999 | 1.6% | +65.6% |
| 2000 | 1.1% | -29.7% |
| 2001 | 1.6% | +40.1% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | -44.8% |
| 2003 | 1.4% | +59.8% |
| 2004 | 1.5% | +4.9% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | -39.1% |
| 2006 | 0.8% | -14.3% |
| 2007 | 0.7% | -13.8% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | -16.7% |
| 2009 | 0.5% | -8.1% |
| 2010 | 0.4% | -13.0% |
| 2011 | 0.3% | -30.4% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | +29.1% |
| 2013 | 0.4% | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | -10.3% |
| 2017 | 0.5% | +38.6% |
| 2018 | 0.6% | +5.9% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | -33.4% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | -35.5% |
| 2021 | 0.2% | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 0.2% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.2% | -4.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.1% | 0.8% | 1.6% | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.5% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 4 |
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)
- 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)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 193.06 current US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 24.72 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 503.36 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per capita 338,013 current LCU per person (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current US$), annual growth -23.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current LCU), annual growth -24.37 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp in Malawi?
- Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp in Malawi was 0.2% in 2023, according to UN Tourism (2025); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 1.6% in 1999.
- What is the lowest spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2023.
- How does Malawi rank for spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp?
- Malawi ranks 177th out of 191 countries with data for 2023.
- Is spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of gdp rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from UN Tourism (2025); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Spending by international visitors while visiting a country as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Money received by the destination country from foreign visitors, including spending on accommodation, food, transport, entertainment, shopping, and fares paid to the country’s own airlines, as a share of, as a share of GDP.