Prevalence of current tobacco use, females in Malawi

Malawi: Prevalence of current tobacco use, females was 2.7% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
2.7%
Change on year
down 3.6%
World rank
112th
of 166 countries
All-time high
12.6%
in 2000
All-time low
2.7%
in 2024
Years of data
9
2000–2024

Prevalence of current tobacco use, females in Malawi, 2000–2024

246810122000201220242000: 12.6 % of female adults2005: 9.1 % of female adults2007: 7.9 % of female adults2010: 6.5 % of female adults2015: 4.7 % of female adults2020: 3.4 % of female adults2022: 3 % of female adults2023: 2.8 % of female adults2024: 2.7 % of female adults

Source: Global Health Observatory Data Repository, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of female adults.

Analysis

Malawi recorded 2.7% for prevalence of current tobacco use, females in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.

That represents a change of down 3.6% on the previous year and down 42.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of current tobacco use, females in Malawi peaked at 12.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2.7%, in 2024.

Malawi ranks 112th of 166 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Prevalence of current tobacco use, females in Malawi, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of current tobacco use, females (% of female adults) in Malawi, 2000 to 2024.
Year % of female adults Change
2000 12.6%
2005 9.1% -27.8%
2007 7.9% -13.2%
2010 6.5% -17.7%
2015 4.7% -27.7%
2020 3.4% -27.7%
2022 3.0% -11.8%
2023 2.8% -6.7%
2024 2.7% -3.6%

Malawi compared with similar countries

  • Malawi's 2.7% is below the median for low income countries, which is 2.8%, 96% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
  • Malawi's 2.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.4%, 1.1× the median. (39 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 9.9% 7.9% 12.6% 3
2010s 5.6% 4.7% 6.5% 2
2020s 3.0% 2.7% 3.4% 4

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 112 Indonesia 2.7% compare
  2. 112 Paraguay 2.7% compare
  3. 115 United Arab Emirates 2.6% compare

See the full ranking of 212 places →

More health data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of current tobacco use, females in Malawi?
Prevalence of current tobacco use, females in Malawi was 2.7% in 2024, according to Global Health Observatory Data Repository, World Health Organization (WHO).
What is the highest prevalence of current tobacco use, females recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 12.6% in 2000.
What is the lowest prevalence of current tobacco use, females recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 2.7% in 2024.
How does Malawi rank for prevalence of current tobacco use, females?
Malawi ranks 112th out of 166 countries with data for 2024.
Is prevalence of current tobacco use, females rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is down 42.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Malawi data come from?
The figures come from Global Health Observatory Data Repository, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Prevalence of current tobacco use, females (% of female adults). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prevalence of current tobacco use, females in Malawi. Statizoid, drawing on Global Health Observatory Data Repository, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-current-tobacco-use-females-percent-of-female-adults/malawi/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of current tobacco use, females (% of female adults)
Unit
% of female adults
Source
Global Health Observatory Data Repository, World Health Organization (WHO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
212 places, 1,908 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

The percentage of the female population ages 15 years and over who currently use any tobacco product (smoked and/or smokeless tobacco) on a daily or non-daily basis. Tobacco products include cigarettes, pipes, cigars, cigarillos, waterpipes (hookah, shisha), bidis, kretek, heated tobacco products, and all forms of smokeless (oral and nasal) tobacco. Tobacco products exclude e-cigarettes (which do not contain tobacco), “e-cigars”, “e-hookahs”, JUUL and “e-pipes”. The rates are age-standardized to the WHO Standard Population.