Malawi: Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, primary products (%)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Malawi's tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, primary products (%) rose 0.39 percentage points on 2020 (from 8.65% to 9.04%).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (1997 to 2020), the average change was −0.98 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.34 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 3.45 percentage points in 2009 and the biggest yearly fall was 13.12 percentage points in 1998. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.64 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 67% of the movement over 8 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 2021, Malawi had the 6th highest value of the 21 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 2021 ranking

• Antigua and Barbuda — 3rd of 21: 13.9%
• Ethiopia — 4th of 21: 12.06%
• Sri Lanka — 5th of 21: 11.03%
• Zimbabwe — 7th of 21: 9%
• Papua New Guinea — 8th of 21: 7.73%
• Morocco — 9th of 21: 7.37%

What this measures

Weighted mean applied tariff is the average of effectively applied rates weighted by the product import shares corresponding to each partner country. Data are classified using the Harmonized System of trade at the six- or eight-digit level. Tariff line data were matched to Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) revision 3 codes to define commodity groups and import weights. To the extent possible, specific rates have been converted to their ad valorem equivalent rates and have been included in the calculation of weighted mean tariffs. Import weights were calculated using the United Nations Statistics Division's Commodity Trade (Comtrade) database. Effectively applied tariff rates at the six- and eight-digit product level are averaged for products in each commodity group. When the effectively applied rate is unavailable, the most favored nation rate is used instead. Primary products are commodities classified in SITC revision 3 sections 0-4 plus division 68 (nonferrous metals).

All 20 values

Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, primary products (%) in nearby economies

• Angola — 9.84% (2022)
• Benin — 12.27% (2022)
• Botswana — 7.68% (2022)
• Burkina Faso — 5.64% (2022)
• Burundi — 16.01% (2022)
• Cabo Verde — 14.73% (2022)
• Cameroon — 19.92% (2022)
• Central African Republic — 20.06% (2022)
• Chad — 23.79% (2022)

More trade data for Malawi

• Import volume index (2015 = 100) — 116.1 (2024)
• Tariff rate, applied, simple mean, manufactured products (%) — 9.2% (2021)
• Tariff rate, most favored nation, simple mean, manufactured products (%) — 11.53% (2021)
• Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, manufactured products (%) — 5.12% (2021)
• Tariff rate, most favored nation, weighted mean, manufactured products (%) — 8.28% (2021)
• Tariff rate, applied, simple mean, all products (%) — 9.48% (2021)
• Tariff rate, most favored nation, simple mean, all products (%) — 12.4% (2021)
• Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, all products (%) — 5.95% (2021)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Malawi's tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, primary products (%)?

9.04% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1994?

It is down 3.81 percentage points from 12.85% in 1994. The highest value was 19.67% in 1997 and the lowest 2.75% in 2013.

How does Malawi rank?

6th highest of 21 economies with data for 2021.

Is the latest change in tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, primary products (%) unusual for Malawi?

In 2021, Malawi's tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, primary products (%) rose 0.39 percentage points on 2020 (from 8.65% to 9.04%). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (1997 to 2020), the average change was −0.98 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.34 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator TM.TAX.TCOM.WM.AR.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Staff estimates; World Integrated Trade Solution system (WITS), World Bank (WB); Trade Analysis and Information System (TRAINS), UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); Integrated Data Base (IDB), World Trade Organization (WTO); Consolidated Tariff Schedules (CTS), World Trade Organization… 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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