Malawi: Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate)

Key figures

Since 1983 it is down 51.88 percentage points from 93.83% in 1983. The World Bank has no value for 32 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

How it compares

In 2024, Malawi had the 18th highest value of the 22 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 2024 ranking

• Bahamas, The — 15th of 22: 46.87%
• Sri Lanka — 16th of 22: 45.3%
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 17th of 22: 45.1%
• South Africa — 19th of 22: 37.63%
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 20th of 22: 37.6%
• Jordan — 21st of 22: 33.96%

What this measures

Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed.

Limitations: Comparability of employment-to-population ratios across countries is affected most significantly by variations in the definitions used for the employment and population figures. Differences result from age coverage, such as the lower and upper bounds for labor force activity. Estimates of both employment and population are also likely to vary according to whether members of the armed forces are included. Another area with scope for measurement differences has to do with the national treatment of particular groups of workers. The international definition of employment calls for inclusion of all persons who worked for at least one hour during the reference period.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 10 values

Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) in nearby economies

• Angola — 66.62% (2025)
• Botswana — 52.18% (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 63.28% (2025)
• Ghana — 68.15% (2025)
• Mali — 59.18% (2024)
• Mauritius — 54.35% (2024)
• Namibia — 30.34% (2023)
• Nigeria — 78.72% (2024)
• Rwanda

More social protection & labor data for Malawi

• Net migration — -5,628 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 551 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 35,241 (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 43.7% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 48.77% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 46.21% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 58.96% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate)

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Questions people ask

What is Malawi's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate)?

41.94% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1983?

It is down 51.88 percentage points from 93.83% in 1983. The highest value was 93.83% in 1983 and the lowest 41.94% in 2024.

How does Malawi rank?

18th highest of 22 economies with data for 2024.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.NE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026 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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