Key features of human rights in Malawi
Malawi: Key features of human rights was 0.806 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Key features of human rights in Malawi, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, key features of human rights in Malawi stood at 0.806.
That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and down 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key features of human rights in Malawi peaked at 0.872 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.061, in 1915.
That places Malawi 72nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.064 | 0.064 | 0.064 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.0637 | 0.061 | 0.064 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.065 | 0.064 | 0.069 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.069 | 0.069 | 0.069 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.0714 | 0.069 | 0.073 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.0762 | 0.073 | 0.083 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.114 | 0.083 | 0.154 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.0877 | 0.083 | 0.09 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.09 | 0.09 | 0.09 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3751 | 0.087 | 0.6 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6876 | 0.612 | 0.728 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7802 | 0.724 | 0.831 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8257 | 0.79 | 0.872 | 6 |
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 key features of human rights in Malawi?
- Key features of human rights in Malawi was 0.806 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key features of human rights recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 0.872 in 2021.
- What is the lowest key features of human rights recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.061 in 1915.
- How does Malawi rank for key features of human rights?
- Malawi ranks 72nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key features of human rights rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Key features of human rights. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which people are free from government torture, political killings, and forced labor, they have property rights, and enjoy the freedoms of movement, religion, expression, and association.