What is participatory democracy index in Malawi?

Participatory democracy index in Malawi was 0.366 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest participatory democracy index recorded in Malawi?

The highest recorded value was 0.398 in 2021.

What is the lowest participatory democracy index recorded in Malawi?

The lowest recorded value was 0.027 in 1900.

How does Malawi rank for participatory democracy index?

Malawi ranks 68th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is participatory democracy index rising or falling in Malawi?

Over the last ten years it is up 6.7%. 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 Participatory Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Participatory Democracy Index in Malawi

Name: Participatory Democracy Index in Malawi
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Malawi: Participatory Democracy Index was 0.366 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)

0.366

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

68th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.398

in 2021

All-time low

0.027

in 1900

Years of data

126

1900–2025

Participatory Democracy Index in Malawi, 1900–2025

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

Analysis

In 2025, participatory democracy index in Malawi stood at 0.366.

That represents a change of up 6.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, participatory democracy index in Malawi peaked at 0.398 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.027, in 1900.

Malawi ranks 68th of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Participatory Democracy Index in Malawi, year by year

Annual values for Participatory Democracy Index in Malawi, 1900 to 2025.
Year	Value	Change
1900	0.027	—
1901	0.027	+0.0%
1902	0.027	+0.0%
1903	0.027	+0.0%
1904	0.027	+0.0%
1905	0.027	+0.0%
1906	0.027	+0.0%
1907	0.027	+0.0%
1908	0.027	+0.0%
1909	0.027	+0.0%
1910	0.027	+0.0%
1911	0.027	+0.0%
1912	0.027	+0.0%
1913	0.027	+0.0%
1914	0.027	+0.0%
1915	0.027	+0.0%
1916	0.027	+0.0%
1917	0.027	+0.0%
1918	0.027	+0.0%
1919	0.027	+0.0%
1920	0.027	+0.0%
1921	0.027	+0.0%
1922	0.027	+0.0%
1923	0.027	+0.0%
1924	0.027	+0.0%
1925	0.027	+0.0%
1926	0.027	+0.0%
1927	0.027	+0.0%
1928	0.027	+0.0%
1929	0.027	+0.0%
1930	0.027	+0.0%
1931	0.027	+0.0%
1932	0.027	+0.0%
1933	0.027	+0.0%
1934	0.027	+0.0%
1935	0.027	+0.0%
1936	0.027	+0.0%
1937	0.027	+0.0%
1938	0.027	+0.0%
1939	0.027	+0.0%
1940	0.027	+0.0%
1941	0.027	+0.0%
1942	0.027	+0.0%
1943	0.027	+0.0%
1944	0.027	+0.0%
1945	0.027	+0.0%
1946	0.027	+0.0%
1947	0.027	+0.0%
1948	0.027	+0.0%
1949	0.027	+0.0%
1950	0.027	+0.0%
1951	0.027	+0.0%
1952	0.027	+0.0%
1953	0.027	+0.0%
1954	0.027	+0.0%
1955	0.027	+0.0%
1956	0.027	+0.0%
1957	0.027	+0.0%
1958	0.027	+0.0%
1959	0.029	+7.4%
1960	0.032	+10.3%
1961	0.083	+159.4%
1962	0.093	+12.0%
1963	0.108	+16.1%
1964	0.126	+16.7%
1965	0.115	-8.7%
1966	0.064	-44.3%
1967	0.063	-1.6%
1968	0.063	+0.0%
1969	0.063	+0.0%
1970	0.063	+0.0%
1971	0.063	+0.0%
1972	0.063	+0.0%
1973	0.063	+0.0%
1974	0.064	+1.6%
1975	0.064	+0.0%
1976	0.058	-9.4%
1977	0.055	-5.2%
1978	0.055	+0.0%
1979	0.056	+1.8%
1980	0.056	+0.0%
1981	0.056	+0.0%
1982	0.056	+0.0%
1983	0.056	+0.0%
1984	0.056	+0.0%
1985	0.056	+0.0%
1986	0.056	+0.0%
1987	0.056	+0.0%
1988	0.056	+0.0%
1989	0.056	+0.0%
1990	0.056	+0.0%
1991	0.056	+0.0%
1992	0.059	+5.4%
1993	0.084	+42.4%
1994	0.181	+115.5%
1995	0.275	+51.9%
1996	0.276	+0.4%
1997	0.276	+0.0%
1998	0.276	+0.0%
1999	0.247	-10.5%
2000	0.286	+15.8%
2001	0.286	+0.0%
2002	0.286	+0.0%
2003	0.286	+0.0%
2004	0.225	-21.3%
2005	0.225	+0.0%
2006	0.224	-0.4%
2007	0.222	-0.9%
2008	0.226	+1.8%
2009	0.251	+11.1%
2010	0.26	+3.6%
2011	0.26	+0.0%
2012	0.268	+3.1%
2013	0.286	+6.7%
2014	0.348	+21.7%
2015	0.343	-1.4%
2016	0.342	-0.3%
2017	0.355	+3.8%
2018	0.337	-5.1%
2019	0.315	-6.5%
2020	0.359	+14.0%
2021	0.398	+10.9%
2022	0.388	-2.5%
2023	0.369	-4.9%
2024	0.366	-0.8%
2025	0.366	+0.0%

Malawi compared with similar countries

Malawi's 0.366 is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.13, 2.8× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Malawi's 0.366 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.2095, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1900s	0.027	0.027	0.027	10
1910s	0.027	0.027	0.027	10
1920s	0.027	0.027	0.027	10
1930s	0.027	0.027	0.027	10
1940s	0.027	0.027	0.027	10
1950s	0.0272	0.027	0.029	10
1960s	0.081	0.032	0.126	10
1970s	0.0604	0.055	0.064	10
1980s	0.056	0.056	0.056	10
1990s	0.1786	0.056	0.276	10
2000s	0.2517	0.222	0.286	10
2010s	0.3114	0.26	0.355	10
2020s	0.3743	0.359	0.398	6

Countries ranked near Malawi

65 Sao Tome and Principe 0.391 compare
66 Moldova 0.389 compare
67 Botswana 0.369 compare
69 Ghana 0.361 compare
70 North Macedonia 0.354 compare
71 Bhutan 0.349 compare
71 Namibia 0.349 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

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)

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is participatory democracy index in Malawi?: Participatory democracy index in Malawi was 0.366 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest participatory democracy index recorded in Malawi?: The highest recorded value was 0.398 in 2021.
What is the lowest participatory democracy index recorded in Malawi?: The lowest recorded value was 0.027 in 1900.
How does Malawi rank for participatory democracy index?: Malawi ranks 68th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is participatory democracy index rising or falling in Malawi?: Over the last ten years it is up 6.7%. 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 Participatory Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Participatory Democracy Index in Malawi. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/participatory-democracy-index/malawi/

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About this data

Indicator: Participatory Democracy Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 29,363 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

Central estimate of the extent of suffrage, the freedom and fairness of elections, freedoms of association and expression, as well as the extent to which citizens can engage in regional and local government, civil society organizations, and direct democracy.