Social Protection & Labor · Malawi
Yearly data from 1991 to 2025, from the World Bank.
Malawi's employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) was 43% in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 6 percentage points from 49% in 2015.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 43% | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 52.41% | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 49% | 2015 |
| Highest | 64.45% | 1997 |
| Lowest | 43% | 2025 |
| Average since 2016 | 45.27% | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 63.33% | 1991 |
Over five years it is down 9.41 percentage points from 52.41% in 2020. Since 1991 it is down 20.33 percentage points from 63.33% in 1991.
In 2025, Malawi's employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) fell 0.48 percentage points on 2024 (from 43.49% to 43%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −0.68 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.29 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 8.02 percentage points in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 8.41 percentage points in 2021. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 21% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
In 2025, Malawi had the 52nd highest value of the 182 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Malawi | 43% | 2025 |
| World | 37.3% | 2025 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 47.13% | 2025 |
| Low income | 45.89% | 2025 |
Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed.
Limitations: Data on employment by status are drawn from labor force surveys and household surveys, supplemented by official estimates and censuses for a small group of countries. The labor force survey is the most comprehensive source for internationally comparable employment, but there are still some limitations for comparing data across countries and over time even within a country. Comparability of employment ratios across countries is affected by variations in definitions of employment and population. The biggest difference results from the age range used to define labor force activity. The population base for employment ratios can also vary.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
| Year | Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 43 |
| 2024 | 43.49 |
| 2023 | 43.69 |
| 2022 | 43.86 |
| 2021 | 44 |
| 2020 | 52.41 |
| 2019 | 44.39 |
| 2018 | 44.99 |
| 2017 | 45.56 |
| 2016 | 47.28 |
| 2015 | 49 |
| 2014 | 50.69 |
| 2013 | 52.37 |
| 2012 | 54.05 |
| 2011 | 55.77 |
| 2010 | 57.26 |
| 2009 | 58.73 |
| 2008 | 60.1 |
| 2007 | 61.44 |
| 2006 | 62.75 |
| 2005 | 64.09 |
| 2004 | 64.06 |
| 2003 | 63.97 |
| 2002 | 63.96 |
| 2001 | 64.02 |
| 2000 | 64.21 |
| 1999 | 64.33 |
| 1998 | 64.37 |
| 1997 | 64.45 |
| 1996 | 64.24 |
| 1995 | 64.23 |
| 1994 | 63.8 |
| 1993 | 63.85 |
| 1992 | 63.54 |
| 1991 | 63.33 |
Every indicator for Malawi is on the Malawi data page.
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.EMP.1524.SP.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: January 17, 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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