Prevalence of current tobacco use in Malawi
Malawi: Prevalence of current tobacco use was 8.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of current tobacco use in Malawi, 2000–2024
Source: Global Health Observatory Data Repository, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of adults.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 8.9% for prevalence of current tobacco use in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.3% on the previous year and down 30.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of current tobacco use in Malawi peaked at 24.3% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 8.9%, in 2024.
Malawi ranks 140th of 166 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Prevalence of current tobacco use in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 24.3% | — |
| 2005 | 19.5% | -19.8% |
| 2007 | 17.9% | -8.2% |
| 2010 | 15.7% | -12.3% |
| 2015 | 12.8% | -18.5% |
| 2020 | 10.4% | -18.8% |
| 2022 | 9.6% | -7.7% |
| 2023 | 9.2% | -4.2% |
| 2024 | 8.9% | -3.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 20.6% | 17.9% | 24.3% | 3 |
| 2010s | 14.2% | 12.8% | 15.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 9.5% | 8.9% | 10.4% | 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 prevalence of current tobacco use in Malawi?
- Prevalence of current tobacco use in Malawi was 8.9% in 2024, according to Global Health Observatory Data Repository, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest prevalence of current tobacco use recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 24.3% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of current tobacco use recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.9% in 2024.
- How does Malawi rank for prevalence of current tobacco use?
- Malawi ranks 140th out of 166 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of current tobacco use rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 (% of adults). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The percentage of the 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.