Democracy Index in Malawi
Malawi: Democracy Index was 6 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Democracy Index in Malawi, 1964–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2018, democracy index in Malawi stood at 6. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy index in Malawi peaked at 6 in 1994 and was at its lowest, -9, in 1964.
That places Malawi 86th out of 168 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Democracy Index in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | -9 | — |
| 1965 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1968 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | -6 | -33.3% |
| 1994 | 6 | -200.0% |
| 1995 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 4 | -33.3% |
| 2002 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 2004 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 2005 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 | +0.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 6 is above the median for low income countries, which is 1, 6.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 6 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.5, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -9 | -9 | -9 | 6 |
| 1970s | -9 | -9 | -9 | 10 |
| 1980s | -9 | -9 | -9 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3 | -9 | 6 | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.5 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More social development data for Malawi
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 35,241 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 551 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate -33.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 551 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0016 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy index in Malawi?
- Democracy index in Malawi was 6 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy index recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 6 in 1994.
- What is the lowest democracy index recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was -9 in 1964.
- How does Malawi rank for democracy index?
- Malawi ranks 86th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is democracy index rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
It combines information on the extent to which open, multi-party, and competitive elections choose a chief executive who faces comprehensive institutional constraints, and political participation is competitive. It ranges from -10 to 10 (fully democratic).