Political Rights Rating in Malawi
Malawi: Political Rights Rating was 2 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
2
Change on year
down 33.3%
World rank
115th
of 199 countries
All-time high
7
in 1972
All-time low
2
in 1994
Years of data
53
1972–2025
Political Rights Rating in Malawi, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, political rights rating in Malawi stood at 2. That is the lowest value across all 53 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 33.3% on the previous year and down 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, political rights rating in Malawi peaked at 7 in 1972 and was at its lowest, 2, in 1994.
Malawi ranks 115th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Political Rights Rating in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 7 | — |
| 1973 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 1979 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 1990 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 1993 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 2 | -66.7% |
| 1995 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 3 | +50.0% |
| 2000 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 2002 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 2004 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 2005 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 2010 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 2 | -33.3% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 2 is below the median for low income countries, which is 7, 29% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 2 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6, 33% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.75 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 1980s | 6.11 | 6 | 7 | 9 |
| 1990s | 3.9 | 2 | 7 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.7 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.83 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 115 Antigua and Barbuda 2 compare
- 115 Argentina 2 compare
- 115 Belize 2 compare
- 115 Bhutan 2 compare
- 115 Bolivia 2 compare
- 115 Botswana 2 compare
- 115 Brazil 2 compare
- 115 Bulgaria 2 compare
- 115 Colombia 2 compare
- 115 Croatia 2 compare
- 115 East Timor 2 compare
- 115 Ghana 2 compare
- 115 Greece 2 compare
- 115 India 2 compare
- 115 Israel 2 compare
- 115 Italy 2 compare
- 115 Jamaica 2 compare
- 115 Lesotho 2 compare
- 115 Liberia 2 compare
- 115 Liechtenstein 2 compare
- 115 Malta 2 compare
- 115 Nauru 2 compare
- 115 Panama 2 compare
- 115 Poland 2 compare
- 115 Romania 2 compare
- 115 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2 compare
- 115 Samoa 2 compare
- 115 Sao Tome and Principe 2 compare
- 115 Senegal 2 compare
- 115 Seychelles 2 compare
- 115 Slovakia 2 compare
- 115 South Africa 2 compare
- 115 South Korea 2 compare
- 115 Suriname 2 compare
- 115 Trinidad and Tobago 2 compare
- 115 United States 2 compare
- 115 Vanuatu 2 compare
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)
- 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)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of -0.7575 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is political rights rating in Malawi?
- Political rights rating in Malawi was 2 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest political rights rating recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 7 in 1972.
- What is the lowest political rights rating recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 2 in 1994.
- How does Malawi rank for political rights rating?
- Malawi ranks 115th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is political rights rating rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Political Rights Rating. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Identifies the extent of free and fair elections, political pluralism and participation, and a functioning government. Lower ratings indicate more rights.