Taxes on income vs. taxes on goods and services in Malawi
Malawi: Taxes on income vs. taxes on goods and services was 6.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Taxes on income vs. taxes on goods and services in Malawi, 1983–2023
Source: UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for taxes on income vs. taxes on goods and services in Malawi is 6.1%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.5% on the previous year and up 45.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, taxes on income vs. taxes on goods and services in Malawi peaked at 6.1% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 1995.
That places Malawi 112th out of 187 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Taxes on income vs. taxes on goods and services in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 2.1% | — |
| 1984 | 2.1% | -1.9% |
| 1985 | 2.3% | +12.8% |
| 1986 | 2.5% | +8.6% |
| 1987 | 2.7% | +7.4% |
| 1988 | 2.2% | -20.0% |
| 1989 | 2.5% | +16.1% |
| 1990 | 2.9% | +15.7% |
| 1991 | 2.3% | -21.1% |
| 1992 | 2.5% | +7.3% |
| 1993 | 1.9% | -23.1% |
| 1994 | 2.4% | +27.4% |
| 1995 | 1.6% | -35.3% |
| 1996 | 1.7% | +6.0% |
| 1997 | 1.8% | +9.6% |
| 1998 | 2.2% | +22.0% |
| 1999 | 2.1% | -5.5% |
| 2000 | 2.3% | +9.7% |
| 2001 | 2.7% | +17.7% |
| 2002 | 2.4% | -12.6% |
| 2003 | 2.8% | +18.8% |
| 2004 | 3.1% | +11.0% |
| 2005 | 3.3% | +5.1% |
| 2006 | 3.8% | +14.5% |
| 2009 | 5.0% | +32.2% |
| 2010 | 5.3% | +6.6% |
| 2011 | 5.3% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 4.5% | -15.2% |
| 2013 | 4.2% | -5.9% |
| 2014 | 5.1% | +21.3% |
| 2015 | 4.5% | -11.9% |
| 2016 | 4.7% | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 5.2% | +11.3% |
| 2018 | 5.3% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 5.3% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 5.4% | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 5.2% | -3.4% |
| 2022 | 5.8% | +11.0% |
| 2023 | 6.1% | +5.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.7% | 7 |
| 1990s | 2.1% | 1.6% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.2% | 2.3% | 5.0% | 8 |
| 2010s | 4.9% | 4.2% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.7% | 5.2% | 6.1% | 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)
- Total reserves minus gold (current US$), annual growth rate -29.8 % change on previous year (2020)
- Total reserves minus gold (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0505 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2020)
- Total reserves minus gold (current US$), per capita 30.43 current US$ per person (2020)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) 26.32 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 0.1824 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 122.51 current US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU) 27.23 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU), per 319.42 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is taxes on income vs. taxes on goods and services in Malawi?
- Taxes on income vs. taxes on goods and services in Malawi was 6.1% in 2023, according to UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest taxes on income vs. taxes on goods and services recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 6.1% in 2023.
- What is the lowest taxes on income vs. taxes on goods and services recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 1995.
- How does Malawi rank for taxes on income vs. taxes on goods and services?
- Malawi ranks 112th out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is taxes on income vs. taxes on goods and services rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 45.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Taxes on income vs. taxes on goods and services. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total taxes on income (individual and corporate) vs. total taxes on goods and services (including VAT and sales taxes), as a share of GDP.