LGBT+ Rights Index in Malawi
Malawi: LGBT+ Rights Index was -1.79 in 2025. ▼ Falling
LGBT+ Rights Index in Malawi, 1991–2025
Source: Velasco (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Malawi recorded -1.79 for lgbt+ rights index in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 11.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lgbt+ rights index in Malawi peaked at -0.6 in 2012 and was at its lowest, -1.79, in 2016.
Malawi ranks 167th of 194 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
LGBT+ Rights Index in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | -0.6625 | — |
| 1992 | -0.6625 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | -0.6625 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | -0.6625 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -0.6625 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -0.6625 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -0.6625 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -0.6625 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -0.6625 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -0.6625 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | -0.6625 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | -0.6625 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | -0.6625 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | -0.6625 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | -0.6625 | -0.0% |
| 2006 | -0.6625 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | -0.6625 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | -0.6625 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | -0.725 | +9.4% |
| 2010 | -0.725 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | -0.85 | +17.2% |
| 2012 | -0.6 | -29.4% |
| 2013 | -0.6 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | -0.6 | -0.0% |
| 2015 | -1.6 | +166.7% |
| 2016 | -1.79 | +11.7% |
| 2017 | -1.6 | -10.5% |
| 2018 | -1.79 | +11.7% |
| 2019 | -1.79 | -0.0% |
| 2020 | -1.6 | -10.5% |
| 2021 | -1.79 | +11.7% |
| 2022 | -1.79 | -0.0% |
| 2023 | -1.79 | -0.0% |
| 2024 | -1.79 | -0.0% |
| 2025 | -1.79 | -0.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's -1.79 is below the median for low income countries, which is -1.52, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's -1.79 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -0.6687, 2.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | -0.6625 | -0.6625 | -0.6625 | 9 |
| 2000s | -0.6687 | -0.725 | -0.6625 | 10 |
| 2010s | -1.19 | -1.79 | -0.6 | 10 |
| 2020s | -1.76 | -1.79 | -1.6 | 6 |
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 lgbt+ rights index in Malawi?
- Lgbt+ rights index in Malawi was -1.79 in 2025, according to Velasco (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest lgbt+ rights index recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was -0.6 in 2012.
- What is the lowest lgbt+ rights index recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.79 in 2016.
- How does Malawi rank for lgbt+ rights index?
- Malawi ranks 167th out of 194 countries with data for 2025.
- Is lgbt+ rights index rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Velasco (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of LGBT+ Rights Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Summary measure of a country's LGBTI-related laws, calculated by subtracting the sum of its regressive policy scores from the sum of its progressive policy scores.