Malawi: Current account balance (current US$, BoP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Malawi's current account balance (current US$, BoP) fell US$375.17 million on 2024 (from −US$1.71 billion to −US$2.08 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −US$50.84 million and a typical year strayed about US$251.02 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was US$465.35 million in 2023 and the biggest yearly fall was US$552.43 million in 2017. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is downward, about US$78.04 million a year. A straight line explains 53% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, Malawi had the 96th highest value of the 136 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Malawi in the 2025 ranking

• South Africa — 93rd of 136: −US$1.81 billion
• Montenegro — 94th of 136: −US$1.88 billion
• Cambodia — 95th of 136: −US$1.91 billion
• Mongolia — 97th of 136: −US$2.12 billion
• Suriname — 98th of 136: −US$2.5 billion
• Armenia — 99th of 136: −US$2.55 billion

What this measures

Balance of current transactions (transactions in goods and services, earned income and transfer income) between residents and non-residents. The term current account balance is used in the external accounts and is expressed from the perspective of resident units. The term current external balance is used in the national accounts and is expressed from the perspective of the non-resident units, and therefore with the opposite sign. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

Limitations: Discrepancies may arise in the balance of payments because there is no single source for balance of payments data and therefore no way to ensure that the data are fully consistent. Sources include customs data, monetary accounts of the banking system, external debt records, information provided by enterprises, surveys to estimate service transactions, and foreign exchange records. Differences in collection methods - such as in timing, definitions of residence and ownership, and the exchange rate used to value transactions - contribute to net errors and omissions. In addition, smuggling and other illegal or quasi-legal transactions may be unrecorded or misrecorded.

All 49 values

Current account balance (current US$, BoP) in nearby economies

• Angola — US$417.99 million (2025)
• Benin — −US$1.61 billion (2023)
• Botswana — US$583.38 million (2025)
• Burkina Faso — −US$918.24 million (2024)
• Burundi — −US$461.46 million (2025)
• Cabo Verde — US$108.71 million (2025)
• Cameroon — −US$1.75 billion (2024)
• Comoros — −US$24.62 million (2023)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — −US$3.94 billion (2025)
• Congo, Rep. — US$1.72 billion (2021)

More economic policy & debt data for Malawi

• Services, value added (constant 2015 US$) — US$6.68 billion (2025)
• Services, value added (constant LCU) — 4.34 trillion (2025)
• Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic prices (constant 2015 US$) — US$11.42 billion (2025)
• Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic prices (constant LCU) — 7.6 trillion (2025)
• GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$12.18 billion (2025)
• GDP (constant LCU) — 8.09 trillion (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$548.16 (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant LCU) — 364,283 (2025)
• Services, value added (annual % growth) — 2.15% (2025)
• GDP (annual % growth) — 1.89% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Malawi's current account balance (current US$, BoP)?

−US$2.08 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1977?

It is down 3,268% from −US$61.8 million in 1977. The highest value was −US$4.38 million in 1998 and the lowest −US$2.11 billion in 2022.

How does Malawi rank?

96th highest of 136 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in current account balance (current US$, BoP) unusual for Malawi?

In 2025, Malawi's current account balance (current US$, BoP) fell US$375.17 million on 2024 (from −US$1.71 billion to −US$2.08 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −US$50.84 million and a typical year strayed about US$251.02 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BN.CAB.XOKA.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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