Media Corruption Score in Malawi
Malawi: Media Corruption Score was 1.03 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
1.03
Change on year
down 23.4%
World rank
64th
of 175 countries
All-time high
1.67
in 2021
All-time low
-2.25
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Media Corruption Score in Malawi, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, media corruption score in Malawi stood at 1.03.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 23.4% on the previous year and up 50.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, media corruption score in Malawi peaked at 1.67 in 2021 and was at its lowest, -2.25, in 1900.
That places Malawi 64th out of 175 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.
Media Corruption Score in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | -2.25 | — |
| 1901 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1902 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1903 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1904 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1905 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1906 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1907 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1908 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1909 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1910 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1911 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1912 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1913 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1914 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1915 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1916 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1917 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1918 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1919 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1920 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1921 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1922 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1923 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1924 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1925 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1926 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1927 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1928 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1929 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1930 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1931 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1932 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1933 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1934 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1935 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1936 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1937 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1940 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1941 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1942 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1945 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1946 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1947 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1948 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1949 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1950 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1951 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1952 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1953 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1954 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1956 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1957 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1958 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1959 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1960 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1961 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1962 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1968 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | -2.25 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.867 | -138.4% |
| 1995 | 0.867 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.867 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.867 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.867 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.867 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.867 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.867 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.867 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.867 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.867 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.867 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.723 | -16.6% |
| 2007 | 0.723 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.723 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.723 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.723 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.723 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.723 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.683 | -5.5% |
| 2014 | 0.683 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.683 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.683 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.15 | +68.4% |
| 2018 | 1.15 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1.15 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.791 | -31.2% |
| 2021 | 1.67 | +111.6% |
| 2022 | 1.04 | -37.8% |
| 2023 | 1.11 | +6.9% |
| 2024 | 1.34 | +20.4% |
| 2025 | 1.03 | -23.4% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 1.03 is above the median for low income countries, which is -0.059. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 1.03 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.2435, 4.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | -2.25 | -2.25 | -2.25 | 10 |
| 1910s | -2.25 | -2.25 | -2.25 | 10 |
| 1920s | -2.25 | -2.25 | -2.25 | 10 |
| 1930s | -2.25 | -2.25 | -2.25 | 10 |
| 1940s | -2.25 | -2.25 | -2.25 | 10 |
| 1950s | -2.25 | -2.25 | -2.25 | 10 |
| 1960s | -2.25 | -2.25 | -2.25 | 10 |
| 1970s | -2.25 | -2.25 | -2.25 | 10 |
| 1980s | -2.25 | -2.25 | -2.25 | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.3818 | -2.25 | 0.867 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8094 | 0.723 | 0.867 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8351 | 0.683 | 1.15 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.16 | 0.791 | 1.67 | 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 media corruption score in Malawi?
- Media corruption score in Malawi was 1.03 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest media corruption score recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 1.67 in 2021.
- What is the lowest media corruption score recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.25 in 1900.
- How does Malawi rank for media corruption score?
- Malawi ranks 64th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is media corruption score rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 50.4%. 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 Media Corruption Score. 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
Gauges the frequency with which journalists, publishers, or broadcasters accept payments to modify news content, indicating the integrity (or corruption) of the media sphere.