Statizoid

Liberal democracy in Malawi

Malawi: Liberal democracy was 2 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
2
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
32nd
of 176 countries
All-time high
2
in 1995
All-time low
0
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Liberal democracy in Malawi, 1900–2025

00.511.52190019622025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, liberal democracy in Malawi stood at 2. That is the highest value across all 126 years on record.

That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, liberal democracy in Malawi peaked at 2 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.

That places Malawi 32nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0 0 0 10
1910s 0 0 0 10
1920s 0 0 0 10
1930s 0 0 0 10
1940s 0 0 0 10
1950s 0 0 0 10
1960s 0.7 0 1 10
1970s 1 1 1 10
1980s 1 1 1 10
1990s 1.5 1 2 10
2000s 1 1 1 10
2010s 1.9 1 2 10
2020s 2 2 2 6

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 32 Argentina 2 compare
  2. 32 Armenia 2 compare
  3. 32 Bhutan 2 compare
  4. 32 Bolivia 2 compare
  5. 32 Botswana 2 compare
  6. 32 Brazil 2 compare
  7. 32 Bulgaria 2 compare
  8. 32 Canada 2 compare
  9. 32 Cape Verde 2 compare
  10. 32 Colombia 2 compare
  11. 32 Croatia 2 compare
  12. 32 Dominican Republic 2 compare
  13. 32 East Timor 2 compare
  14. 32 Ecuador 2 compare
  15. 32 Fiji 2 compare
  16. 32 Gambia 2 compare
  17. 32 Ghana 2 compare
  18. 32 Greece 2 compare
  19. 32 Guatemala 2 compare
  20. 32 Guyana 2 compare
  21. 32 Honduras 2 compare
  22. 32 Israel 2 compare
  23. 32 Jamaica 2 compare
  24. 32 Kenya 2 compare
  25. 32 Lesotho 2 compare
  26. 32 Liberia 2 compare
  27. 32 Malaysia 2 compare
  28. 32 Maldives 2 compare
  29. 32 Mauritius 2 compare
  30. 32 Moldova 2 compare
  31. 32 Mongolia 2 compare
  32. 32 Montenegro 2 compare
  33. 32 Namibia 2 compare
  34. 32 Nepal 2 compare
  35. 32 Nigeria 2 compare
  36. 32 North Macedonia 2 compare
  37. 32 Panama 2 compare
  38. 32 Paraguay 2 compare
  39. 32 Peru 2 compare
  40. 32 Poland 2 compare
  41. 32 Portugal 2 compare
  42. 32 Romania 2 compare
  43. 32 Sao Tome and Principe 2 compare
  44. 32 Senegal 2 compare
  45. 32 Slovakia 2 compare
  46. 32 Slovenia 2 compare
  47. 32 Solomon Islands 2 compare
  48. 32 South Africa 2 compare
  49. 32 Sri Lanka 2 compare
  50. 32 Suriname 2 compare
  51. 32 United Kingdom 2 compare
  52. 32 United States 2 compare
  53. 32 Vanuatu 2 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is liberal democracy in Malawi?
Liberal democracy in Malawi was 2 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest liberal democracy recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 2 in 1995.
What is the lowest liberal democracy recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
How does Malawi rank for liberal democracy?
Malawi ranks 32nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is liberal democracy 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 V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Liberal democracy. 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

Indicator
Liberal democracy
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 29,594 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Identifies the political regime of a country by distinguishing between closed autocracies, electoral autocracies, electoral democracies, and liberal democracies.