Malawi: Expense (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Malawi's expense (current LCU) rose 38.8% on 2021 (from 1.71 trillion to 2.38 trillion).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2010 to 2021), the average change was +20.2% and a typical year strayed about 12.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.5 standard deviations above 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 46.6% in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 3% in 2010. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is upward, about 196.2 billion a year. A straight line explains 91% 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 2022, Malawi had the 9th highest value of the 25 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 2022 ranking

• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 5th of 25: 17.59 trillion
• Serbia — 6th of 25: 2.65 trillion
• Czechia — 7th of 25: 2.43 trillion
• South Africa — 9th of 25: 2.23 trillion
• Sweden — 10th of 25: 1.89 trillion
• Germany — 11th of 25: 1.24 trillion

What this measures

Expense is a decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

All 14 values

Expense (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Angola — 5.06 trillion (2019)
• Botswana — 69.39 billion (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 2.39 trillion (2023)
• Burundi — 1 trillion (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 54.45 billion (2020)
• Cameroon — 3.1 trillion (2021)
• Central African Republic — 162.73 billion (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 17.59 trillion (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 1.33 trillion (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 8.76 trillion (2023)
• Equatorial Guinea — 943.03 billion (2022)
• Eswatini

More public sector data for Malawi

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 162.82 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 282.4 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.15% (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 15,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.2% (2020)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 2 million (2024)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 3.84% (2025)
• CPIA business regulatory environment rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3 (2025)
• CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high) — 2 (2025)
• CPIA economic management cluster average (1=low to 6=high)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Malawi's expense (current LCU)?

2.38 trillion in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2009?

It is up 1,093% from 199.53 billion in 2009 (21.01% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 2.38 trillion in 2022 and the lowest 193.56 billion in 2010.

How does Malawi rank?

9th highest of 25 economies with data for 2022.

Is the latest change in expense (current LCU) unusual for Malawi?

In 2022, Malawi's expense (current LCU) rose 38.8% on 2021 (from 1.71 trillion to 2.38 trillion). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2010 to 2021), the average change was +20.2% and a typical year strayed about 12.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.5 standard deviations above 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 GC.XPN.TOTL.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance 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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