Malawi: Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Malawi's merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) rose 98.1% on 2022 (from US$1.58 billion to US$3.14 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +4.6% and a typical year strayed about 17.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 5.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 98.1% in 2023 and the biggest yearly fall was 48.5% in 2022. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 2% 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.

How it compares

In 2023, Malawi had the 154th highest value of the 205 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 2023 ranking

• Bhutan — 151st of 205: US$3.82 billion
• Maldives — 152nd of 205: US$3.5 billion
• Niger — 153rd of 205: US$3.15 billion
• Syrian Arab Republic — 155th of 205: US$3.07 billion
• Togo — 156th of 205: US$3.05 billion
• Fiji — 157th of 205: US$2.99 billion

What this measures

Merchandise imports by the reporting economy are the total merchandise imports by the reporting economy from the rest of the world, as reported in the IMF's Direction of trade database. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

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

All 60 values

Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) in nearby economies

• Angola — US$15.69 billion (2023)
• Benin — US$3.91 billion (2023)
• Botswana — US$5.89 billion (2023)
• Burkina Faso — US$5.88 billion (2023)
• Burundi — US$959.12 million (2023)
• Cabo Verde — US$1.74 billion (2023)
• Cameroon — US$8.62 billion (2023)
• Central African Republic — US$736.21 million (2023)
• Chad — US$1.39 billion (2023)

More private sector & trade data for Malawi

• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$3.66 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$947 million (2025)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 36.95% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa (% of total merchandise imports) — 32.98% (2023)
• Merchandise imports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise imports) — 0.000754% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within region (% of total merchandise imports) — 32.98% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside region (% of total merchandise imports) — 30.07% (2023)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Malawi's merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$)?

US$3.14 billion in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1964?

It is up 7,142% from US$43.34 million in 1964 (7.53% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$3.14 billion in 2023 and the lowest US$43.34 million in 1964.

How does Malawi rank?

154th highest of 205 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) unusual for Malawi?

In 2023, Malawi's merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) rose 98.1% on 2022 (from US$1.58 billion to US$3.14 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +4.6% and a typical year strayed about 17.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 5.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator TM.VAL.MRCH.WL.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB); Direction of Trade database, 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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