Malawi's total reserves (% of total external debt) was 20.07% in 2020, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 11.8 percentage points from 31.87% in 2010.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 20.07% | 2020 |
| Five years earlier | 39.57% | 2015 |
| Ten years earlier | 31.87% | 2010 |
| Highest | 39.57% | 2015 |
| Lowest | 2.27% | 1983 |
| Average since 2011 | 29.77% | 2011–2020 |
| First recorded | 20.97% | 1971 |
What the numbers say
In 2020, Malawi's total reserves (% of total external debt) fell 14.81 percentage points on 2019 (from 34.89% to 20.07%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was +0.91 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 6.39 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 17.61 percentage points in 2010 and the biggest yearly fall was 14.81 percentage points in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2011 to 2020 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 12% 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
See how every economy compares in the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Malawi | 20.07% | 2020 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 26.8% | 2024 |
| Low income | 13.73% | 2023 |
Closest to Malawi in the 2020 ranking
- Afghanistan — 1st of 2: 320.68%
What this measures
Reserve assets are external assets, including monetary gold, that are readily available to and controlled by monetary authorities for meeting balance of payments financing needs, for intervention in exchange markets to affect the currency exchange rate, and for other related purposes (such as maintaining confidence in the currency and the economy, and serving as a basis for foreign borrowing). Reserve assets must be denominated and settled in foreign currency. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of total external debt which are all liabilities that require payment(s) of interest and/or principal by the debtor at some point(s) in the future and that are owed to non-residents by residents of an economy.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 50 values
| Year | Total reserves (% of total external debt) |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 20.07 |
| 2019 | 34.89 |
| 2018 | 33.82 |
| 2017 | 35.53 |
| 2016 | 33.05 |
| 2015 | 39.57 |
| 2014 | 37.1 |
| 2013 | 27.42 |
| 2012 | 18.37 |
| 2011 | 17.88 |
| 2010 |
Total reserves (% of total external debt) in nearby economies
- Angola — 24.25% (2024)
- Botswana — 149.08% (2024)
- Burundi — 8.74% (2023)
- Cabo Verde — 33.19% (2024)
- Cameroon — 32.09% (2024)
- Central African Republic — 46.78% (2024)
- Chad — 46.22% (2024)
- Comoros — 84.02% (2024)
- Congo, Dem. Rep. — 42.51% (2023)
- Congo, Rep. — 11.27% (2024)
More economic policy & debt data for Malawi
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$) — US$6.68 billion (2025)
- Services, value added (constant LCU) — 4.34 trillion (2025)
- Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic prices (constant 2015 US$) — US$11.42 billion (2025)
- Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic prices (constant LCU) — 7.6 trillion (2025)
- GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$12.18 billion (2025)
- GDP (constant LCU) — 8.09 trillion (2025)
- GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$548.16 (2025)
- GDP per capita (constant LCU) — 364,283 (2025)
- Services, value added (annual % growth) — 2.15% (2025)
- GDP (annual % growth) — 1.89% (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Malawi's total reserves (% of total external debt)?
- 20.07% in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1971?
- It is down 0.9 percentage points from 20.97% in 1971. The highest value was 39.57% in 2015 and the lowest 2.27% in 1983.
- Is the latest change in total reserves (% of total external debt) unusual for Malawi?
- In 2020, Malawi's total reserves (% of total external debt) fell 14.81 percentage points on 2019 (from 34.89% to 20.07%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was +0.91 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 6.39 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.
- Where does this data come from?
- The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FI.RES.TOTL.DT.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB) 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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