Malawi: Taxes on income, profits and capital gains (% of total taxes)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Malawi's taxes on income, profits and capital gains (% of total taxes) rose 2.09 percentage points on 2023 (from 49.16% to 51.26%).

Across the 14 yearly changes before that (2010 to 2023), the average change was +0.6 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.48 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 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 3.88 percentage points in 2015 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.59 percentage points in 2014. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 5% 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 2024, Malawi had the 23rd highest value of the 89 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

• France — 19th of 89: 53.79%
• United Kingdom — 20th of 89: 52.63%
• Naoero — 21st of 89: 52.16%
• Singapore — 23rd of 89: 50.98%
• San Marino — 24th of 89: 50.39%
• Israel — 25th of 89: 49.97%

What this measures

Taxes on income, profits, and capital gains are taxes payable on the actual or presumed incomes, profits and capital gains. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of total taxes which includes all compulsory, unrequited payments, in cash or in kind, made by institutional units to government 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 16 values

Taxes on income, profits and capital gains (% of total taxes) in nearby economies

• Angola — 70.05% (2024)
• Botswana — 40.71% (2023)
• Burkina Faso — 27.07% (2024)
• Burundi — 21.6% (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 30.72% (2020)
• Cameroon — 27.23% (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 59.81% (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 27.19% (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 28.83% (2023)

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 taxes on income, profits and capital gains (% of total taxes)?

51.26% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2009?

It is up 10.45 percentage points from 40.8% in 2009. The highest value was 51.26% in 2024 and the lowest 40.8% in 2009.

How does Malawi rank?

23rd highest of 89 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in taxes on income, profits and capital gains (% of total taxes) unusual for Malawi?

In 2024, Malawi's taxes on income, profits and capital gains (% of total taxes) rose 2.09 percentage points on 2023 (from 49.16% to 51.26%). Across the 14 yearly changes before that (2010 to 2023), the average change was +0.6 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.48 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 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.TAX.YPKG.ZS, 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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