Citizen support for democracy in Malawi
Malawi: Citizen support for democracy was 0.128 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Citizen support for democracy in Malawi, 1999–2020
Source: Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for citizen support for democracy in Malawi is 0.128, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.1% on the previous year and up 94.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, citizen support for democracy in Malawi peaked at 0.2818 in 2012 and was at its lowest, -0.9063, in 2005.
Malawi ranks 51st of 144 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.1167 | 0.1167 | 0.1167 | 1 |
| 2000s | -0.3403 | -0.9063 | 0.0047 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1713 | 0.0658 | 0.2818 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.128 | 0.128 | 0.128 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More social development data for Malawi
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 35,241 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 551 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Key features of democracy 0.557 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.754 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.767 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.557 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.366 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.462 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is citizen support for democracy in Malawi?
- Citizen support for democracy in Malawi was 0.128 in 2020, according to Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest citizen support for democracy recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 0.2818 in 2012.
- What is the lowest citizen support for democracy recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.9063 in 2005.
- How does Malawi rank for citizen support for democracy?
- Malawi ranks 51st out of 144 countries with data for 2020.
- Is citizen support for democracy rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 94.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Citizen support for democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the average extent to which citizens support a democratic political system and reject autocratic alternatives. It combines responses across more than one thousand nationally-representative surveys on how desirable citizens find democracy, how they evaluate undemocratic alternatives (such as a strong unelected leader, the army, or religious authorities), and how they assess democratic and autocratic political systems relative to another.