Distribution of Democracy Index in Malawi
Malawi: Distribution of Democracy Index was 16 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Distribution of Democracy Index in Malawi, 1964–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 16 for distribution of democracy index in 2018. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in Malawi peaked at 16 in 1994 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1964.
That places Malawi 87th 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.
Distribution of Democracy Index in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 1 | — |
| 1965 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 4 | +300.0% |
| 1994 | 16 | +300.0% |
| 1995 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 14 | -12.5% |
| 2002 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 15 | +7.1% |
| 2004 | 16 | +6.7% |
| 2005 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 16 | +0.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 16 is above the median for low income countries, which is 11, 1.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 16 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.5, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 1970s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.3 | 1 | 16 | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.5 | 14 | 16 | 10 |
| 2010s | 16 | 16 | 16 | 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 distribution of democracy index in Malawi?
- Distribution of democracy index in Malawi was 16 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of democracy index recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 16 in 1994.
- What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1964.
- How does Malawi rank for distribution of democracy index?
- Malawi ranks 87th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is distribution of 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) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Distribution 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 0 to 20 (fully democratic).