Spirits consumption per person in Malawi
Malawi: Spirits consumption per person was 0.1665 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2022)
0.1665 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
150th
of 187 countries
All-time high
0.4088 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year
in 2012
All-time low
0 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year
in 1961
Years of data
62
1961–2022
Spirits consumption per person in Malawi, 1961–2022
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in Litres of pure alcohol per person per year.
Analysis
In 2022, spirits consumption per person in Malawi stood at 0.1665 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 59.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, spirits consumption per person in Malawi peaked at 0.4088 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year, in 1961.
That places Malawi 150th out of 187 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Spirits consumption per person in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | — |
| 1962 | 0 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | — |
| 1963 | 0 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | — |
| 1964 | 0 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | — |
| 1965 | 0.01 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | — |
| 1966 | 0.03 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +200.0% |
| 1967 | 0.05 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +66.7% |
| 1968 | 0.06 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +20.0% |
| 1969 | 0.09 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +50.0% |
| 1970 | 0.08 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | -11.1% |
| 1971 | 0.08 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.08 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.13 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +62.5% |
| 1974 | 0.13 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.18 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +38.5% |
| 1976 | 0.23 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +27.8% |
| 1977 | 0.22 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | -4.3% |
| 1978 | 0.2 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | -9.1% |
| 1979 | 0.25 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +25.0% |
| 1980 | 0.33 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +32.0% |
| 1981 | 0.37 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +12.1% |
| 1982 | 0.34 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | -8.1% |
| 1983 | 0.29 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | -14.7% |
| 1984 | 0.28 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | -3.4% |
| 1985 | 0.31 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +10.7% |
| 1986 | 0.31 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.28 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | -9.7% |
| 1988 | 0.27 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | -3.6% |
| 1989 | 0.2 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | -25.9% |
| 1990 | 0.26 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +30.0% |
| 1991 | 0.25 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | -3.8% |
| 1992 | 0.28 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +12.0% |
| 1993 | 0.21 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | -25.0% |
| 1994 | 0.29 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +38.1% |
| 1995 | 0.24 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | -17.2% |
| 1996 | 0.27 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +12.5% |
| 1997 | 0.21 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | -22.2% |
| 1998 | 0.21 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.19 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | -9.5% |
| 2000 | 0.3062 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +61.2% |
| 2001 | 0.3062 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.3062 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.3062 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.3062 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.3062 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.3062 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.3062 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.3062 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.3062 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.3062 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.2973 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 0.4088 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +37.5% |
| 2013 | 0.337 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | -17.6% |
| 2014 | 0.1543 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | -54.2% |
| 2015 | 0.1419 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | -8.0% |
| 2016 | 0.024 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | -83.1% |
| 2017 | 0.0351 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +46.5% |
| 2018 | 0.2406 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +584.8% |
| 2019 | 0.0692 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | -71.2% |
| 2020 | 0.1812 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +161.8% |
| 2021 | 0.1665 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | -8.1% |
| 2022 | 0.1665 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | +0.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 0.1665 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.0542 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year, 3.1× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 0.1665 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.292 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year, 57% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Spirits consumption per person 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | +584.8% | 0.0351 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.2406 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year |
| 1966 | +200.0% | 0.01 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.03 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year |
| 2020 | +161.8% | 0.0692 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.1812 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0267 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.09 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.158 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.08 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.25 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.298 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.2 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.37 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.241 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.19 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.29 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3062 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.3062 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.3062 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2015 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.024 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.4088 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1714 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.1665 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.1812 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 147 Djibouti 0.1834 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year compare
- 148 Burkina Faso 0.1718 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year compare
- 149 Jordan 0.1673 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year compare
- 151 Ethiopia 0.1582 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year compare
- 152 Solomon Islands 0.1358 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year compare
- 153 Tunisia 0.1313 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year 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)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 56.42 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.005 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 2.61 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 257.97 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 20.57 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0228 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 11.91 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate -29.8 % change on previous year (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is spirits consumption per person in Malawi?
- Spirits consumption per person in Malawi was 0.1665 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year in 2022, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest spirits consumption per person recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4088 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year in 2012.
- What is the lowest spirits consumption per person recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year in 1961.
- How does Malawi rank for spirits consumption per person?
- Malawi ranks 150th out of 187 countries with data for 2022.
- Is spirits consumption per person rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 59.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Spirits consumption per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Spirit consumption per person, measured in liters of pure alcohol per year. Spirits are distilled alcoholic drinks and include gin, rum, whisky, tequila and vodka.