Health system composite index in Malawi
Malawi: Health system composite index was -0.3109 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 2024. ▲ Rising
Health system composite index in Malawi, 1960–2024
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in standard deviations from the yearly mean.
Analysis
In 2024, health system composite index in Malawi stood at -0.3109 standard deviations from the yearly mean.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 14.0% on the previous year and up 54.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, health system composite index in Malawi peaked at -0.2142 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 2021 and was at its lowest, -1.4 standard deviations from the yearly mean, in 2002.
That places Malawi 136th out of 196 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.
Health system composite index in Malawi, year by year
| Year | standard deviations from the yearly mean | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | -1.09 standard deviations from the yearly mean | — |
| 1965 | -1.34 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +23.2% |
| 1970 | -1.17 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -12.7% |
| 1980 | -0.5861 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -50.0% |
| 1981 | -0.5451 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -7.0% |
| 1982 | -0.3835 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -29.6% |
| 1983 | -0.6252 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +63.0% |
| 1984 | -0.8933 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +42.9% |
| 1985 | -1.01 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +12.6% |
| 1986 | -0.9191 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -8.6% |
| 1987 | -0.6275 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -31.7% |
| 1988 | -0.6396 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +1.9% |
| 1989 | -0.9152 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +43.1% |
| 1990 | -0.9085 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.7% |
| 1991 | -0.7895 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -13.1% |
| 1992 | -0.6188 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -21.6% |
| 1993 | -0.9055 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +46.3% |
| 1994 | -0.9084 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +0.3% |
| 1995 | -0.8067 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -11.2% |
| 1996 | -0.8318 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +3.1% |
| 1997 | -0.9196 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +10.6% |
| 1998 | -0.9776 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +6.3% |
| 1999 | -1.05 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +6.9% |
| 2000 | -1.29 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +23.8% |
| 2001 | -1.08 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -16.8% |
| 2002 | -1.4 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +30.3% |
| 2003 | -1.29 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -8.3% |
| 2004 | -1.06 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -17.5% |
| 2005 | -0.9664 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -9.0% |
| 2006 | -0.8669 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -10.3% |
| 2007 | -0.9396 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +8.4% |
| 2008 | -0.8949 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -4.8% |
| 2009 | -0.7536 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -15.8% |
| 2010 | -0.5057 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -32.9% |
| 2011 | -0.4697 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -7.1% |
| 2012 | -0.5925 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +26.1% |
| 2013 | -0.8767 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +48.0% |
| 2014 | -0.6894 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -21.4% |
| 2015 | -0.5881 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -14.7% |
| 2016 | -0.9405 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +59.9% |
| 2017 | -0.6665 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -29.1% |
| 2018 | -0.706 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +5.9% |
| 2019 | -0.3108 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -56.0% |
| 2020 | -0.5933 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +90.9% |
| 2021 | -0.2142 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -63.9% |
| 2022 | -0.7351 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +243.3% |
| 2023 | -0.3614 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -50.8% |
| 2024 | -0.3109 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -14.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's -0.3109 standard deviations from the yearly mean is above the median for low income countries, which is -1.05 standard deviations from the yearly mean, 30% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's -0.3109 standard deviations from the yearly mean is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -0.9444 standard deviations from the yearly mean, 33% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Health system composite index in Malawi changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -243.3% | -0.2142 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.7351 standard deviations from the yearly mean |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -1.22 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.34 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.09 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 2 |
| 1970s | -1.17 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.17 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.17 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 1 |
| 1980s | -0.7141 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.01 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.3835 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.8712 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.05 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.6188 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 10 |
| 2000s | -1.05 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.4 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.7536 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.6346 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.9405 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.3108 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.443 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.7351 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.2142 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 133 Honduras -0.288 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 134 Cambodia -0.2996 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 135 Bosnia and Herzegovina -0.3 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 137 Nauru -0.3567 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 138 Dominica -0.3773 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 139 Lebanon -0.382 standard deviations from the yearly mean 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)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.61 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0714 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is health system composite index in Malawi?
- Health system composite index in Malawi was -0.3109 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 2024, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest health system composite index recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was -0.2142 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 2021.
- What is the lowest health system composite index recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.4 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 2002.
- How does Malawi rank for health system composite index?
- Malawi ranks 136th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is health system composite index rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 54.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Health system composite index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 48 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
An equal-weighted index of 4 indicators: Life expectancy at birth, total; Physicians per 1000 people; Hospital beds per 1000 people; Immunization, measles. Each is standardised against that year's spread across all reporting countries before averaging, so a score of 0 is the average country and +1 is one standard deviation above it.
Equal-weighted mean of the standardised inputs below.
Computed from
- Life expectancy at birth, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
- Medical doctors per 1,000 people World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people World Health Organization (WHO) data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
- Immunization, measles World Health Organization (WHO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
An equal-weighted index of 4 indicators: Life expectancy at birth, total; Physicians per 1000 people; Hospital beds per 1000 people; Immunization, measles. Each is standardised against that year's spread across all reporting countries before averaging, so a score of 0 is the average country and +1 is one standard deviation above it.