Inequality in life expectancy in Malawi
Malawi: Inequality in life expectancy was 0.1981 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Inequality in life expectancy in Malawi, 2010–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, inequality in life expectancy in Malawi stood at 0.1981. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 29.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, inequality in life expectancy in Malawi peaked at 0.3175 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.1981, in 2023.
Malawi ranks 46th of 195 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Inequality in life expectancy in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.3175 | — |
| 2011 | 0.3058 | -3.7% |
| 2012 | 0.2921 | -4.5% |
| 2013 | 0.279 | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 0.2665 | -4.5% |
| 2015 | 0.2562 | -3.9% |
| 2016 | 0.2458 | -4.1% |
| 2017 | 0.2358 | -4.1% |
| 2018 | 0.229 | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 0.2225 | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 0.2138 | -3.9% |
| 2021 | 0.2081 | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 0.2037 | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 0.1981 | -2.8% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 0.1981 is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.2732, 73% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 0.1981 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.2388, 83% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.265 | 0.2225 | 0.3175 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2059 | 0.1981 | 0.2138 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
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 inequality in life expectancy in Malawi?
- Inequality in life expectancy in Malawi was 0.1981 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest inequality in life expectancy recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3175 in 2010.
- What is the lowest inequality in life expectancy recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1981 in 2023.
- How does Malawi rank for inequality in life expectancy?
- Malawi ranks 46th out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
- Is inequality in life expectancy rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Inequality in life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Atkinson index measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of the number of years a newborn would live if age-specific mortality rates in the current year were to stay the same throughout its life.