Health spending as a share of total government spending in Malawi
Malawi: Health spending as a share of total government spending was 3.3% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Health spending as a share of total government spending in Malawi, 2000–2023
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for health spending as a share of total government spending in Malawi is 3.3%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 54.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, health spending as a share of total government spending in Malawi peaked at 9.7% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 2022.
That places Malawi 187th out of 195 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Health spending as a share of total government spending in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 7.0% | — |
| 2001 | 7.0% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 7.0% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 7.6% | +8.4% |
| 2004 | 5.0% | -34.6% |
| 2005 | 6.0% | +20.9% |
| 2006 | 5.3% | -12.3% |
| 2007 | 3.5% | -33.0% |
| 2008 | 6.6% | +86.9% |
| 2009 | 5.2% | -21.0% |
| 2010 | 5.8% | +10.4% |
| 2011 | 6.8% | +17.4% |
| 2012 | 5.1% | -24.8% |
| 2013 | 7.2% | +40.4% |
| 2014 | 8.6% | +19.9% |
| 2015 | 9.7% | +13.4% |
| 2016 | 9.7% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 8.2% | -15.4% |
| 2018 | 8.7% | +6.4% |
| 2019 | 7.9% | -8.9% |
| 2020 | 6.9% | -13.4% |
| 2021 | 5.8% | -16.3% |
| 2022 | 3.3% | -42.9% |
| 2023 | 3.3% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6.0% | 3.5% | 7.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.8% | 5.1% | 9.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.8% | 3.3% | 6.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 184 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 3.6% compare
- 185 Senegal 3.6% compare
- 186 Micronesia (country) 3.4% compare
- 188 Lao People's Democratic Republic 3.2% compare
- 189 Togo 2.6% compare
- 190 Benin 2.6% compare
More health data for Malawi
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8368 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9312 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 856.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 6,399 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 1.08 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.2005 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 1.18 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.2007 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is health spending as a share of total government spending in Malawi?
- Health spending as a share of total government spending in Malawi was 3.3% in 2023, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest health spending as a share of total government spending recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 9.7% in 2015.
- What is the lowest health spending as a share of total government spending recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 2022.
- How does Malawi rank for health spending as a share of total government spending?
- Malawi ranks 187th out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
- Is health spending as a share of total government spending rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 54.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Health spending as a share of total government spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Domestic general government health expenditure expressed as a percentage of total expenditure of the general government.