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Political Corruption Index in Malawi

Malawi: Political Corruption Index was 0.628 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.628
Change on year
down 12.9%
World rank
70th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.721
in 2024
All-time low
0.119
in 1965
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Political Corruption Index in Malawi, 1900–2025

0.20.40.60.8190019622025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for political corruption index in Malawi is 0.628, measured in 2025.

The figure is down 12.9% on the previous year and down 2.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, political corruption index in Malawi peaked at 0.721 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.119, in 1965.

That places Malawi 70th 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.

Political Corruption Index in Malawi, year by year

Year Value Change
1900 0.166 —
1901 0.166 +0.0%
1902 0.166 +0.0%
1903 0.166 +0.0%
1904 0.166 +0.0%
1905 0.166 +0.0%
1906 0.166 +0.0%
1907 0.155 -6.6%
1908 0.155 +0.0%
1909 0.155 +0.0%
1910 0.155 +0.0%
1911 0.155 +0.0%
1912 0.155 +0.0%
1913 0.155 +0.0%
1914 0.155 +0.0%
1915 0.155 +0.0%
1916 0.155 +0.0%
1917 0.155 +0.0%
1918 0.155 +0.0%
1919 0.155 +0.0%
1920 0.155 +0.0%
1921 0.155 +0.0%
1922 0.155 +0.0%
1923 0.155 +0.0%
1924 0.155 +0.0%
1925 0.155 +0.0%
1926 0.155 +0.0%
1927 0.155 +0.0%
1928 0.155 +0.0%
1929 0.155 +0.0%
1930 0.155 +0.0%
1931 0.155 +0.0%
1932 0.155 +0.0%
1933 0.155 +0.0%
1934 0.155 +0.0%
1935 0.155 +0.0%
1936 0.155 +0.0%
1937 0.155 +0.0%
1938 0.155 +0.0%
1939 0.155 +0.0%
1940 0.155 +0.0%
1941 0.155 +0.0%
1942 0.155 +0.0%
1943 0.155 +0.0%
1944 0.155 +0.0%
1945 0.155 +0.0%
1946 0.155 +0.0%
1947 0.155 +0.0%
1948 0.155 +0.0%
1949 0.155 +0.0%
1950 0.155 +0.0%
1951 0.155 +0.0%
1952 0.155 +0.0%
1953 0.155 +0.0%
1954 0.155 +0.0%
1955 0.155 +0.0%
1956 0.155 +0.0%
1957 0.155 +0.0%
1958 0.155 +0.0%
1959 0.155 +0.0%
1960 0.155 +0.0%
1961 0.141 -9.0%
1962 0.141 +0.0%
1963 0.141 +0.0%
1964 0.145 +2.8%
1965 0.119 -17.9%
1966 0.119 +0.0%
1967 0.135 +13.4%
1968 0.135 +0.0%
1969 0.135 +0.0%
1970 0.135 +0.0%
1971 0.138 +2.2%
1972 0.138 +0.0%
1973 0.138 +0.0%
1974 0.138 +0.0%
1975 0.138 +0.0%
1976 0.138 +0.0%
1977 0.138 +0.0%
1978 0.138 +0.0%
1979 0.138 +0.0%
1980 0.138 +0.0%
1981 0.138 +0.0%
1982 0.138 +0.0%
1983 0.138 +0.0%
1984 0.138 +0.0%
1985 0.138 +0.0%
1986 0.138 +0.0%
1987 0.138 +0.0%
1988 0.138 +0.0%
1989 0.138 +0.0%
1990 0.138 +0.0%
1991 0.141 +2.2%
1992 0.141 +0.0%
1993 0.144 +2.1%
1994 0.533 +270.1%
1995 0.661 +24.0%
1996 0.661 +0.0%
1997 0.661 +0.0%
1998 0.661 +0.0%
1999 0.661 +0.0%
2000 0.646 -2.3%
2001 0.646 +0.0%
2002 0.646 +0.0%
2003 0.646 +0.0%
2004 0.646 +0.0%
2005 0.634 -1.9%
2006 0.631 -0.5%
2007 0.631 +0.0%
2008 0.631 +0.0%
2009 0.632 +0.2%
2010 0.66 +4.4%
2011 0.66 +0.0%
2012 0.66 +0.0%
2013 0.645 -2.3%
2014 0.641 -0.6%
2015 0.641 +0.0%
2016 0.661 +3.1%
2017 0.612 -7.4%
2018 0.657 +7.4%
2019 0.684 +4.1%
2020 0.679 -0.7%
2021 0.672 -1.0%
2022 0.718 +6.8%
2023 0.68 -5.3%
2024 0.721 +6.0%
2025 0.628 -12.9%

Malawi compared with similar countries

  • Malawi's 0.628 is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.752, 84% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Malawi's 0.628 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.6615, 95% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0.1627 0.155 0.166 10
1910s 0.155 0.155 0.155 10
1920s 0.155 0.155 0.155 10
1930s 0.155 0.155 0.155 10
1940s 0.155 0.155 0.155 10
1950s 0.155 0.155 0.155 10
1960s 0.1366 0.119 0.155 10
1970s 0.1377 0.135 0.138 10
1980s 0.138 0.138 0.138 10
1990s 0.4402 0.138 0.661 10
2000s 0.6389 0.631 0.646 10
2010s 0.6521 0.612 0.684 10
2020s 0.683 0.628 0.721 6

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 68 Thailand 0.635 compare
  2. 69 Peru 0.63 compare
  3. 71 Albania 0.624 compare
  4. 72 Syria 0.619 compare
  5. 73 Guatemala 0.616 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is political corruption index in Malawi?
Political corruption index in Malawi was 0.628 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest political corruption index recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 0.721 in 2024.
What is the lowest political corruption index recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 0.119 in 1965.
How does Malawi rank for political corruption index?
Malawi ranks 70th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is political corruption index rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. 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 Political Corruption Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Political Corruption 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/political-corruption-index/malawi/

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About this data

Indicator
Political Corruption Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 25,295 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of the extent to which a country is affected by political corruption.