Freedom in Malawi
Where Malawi sits on every statistic this site carries, each against the countries the same source covers. Malawi has a figure for 52 of 60 indicators.
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | 0.754 | 2025 | 70 of 163 |
| Freedom of association | 0.767 | 2025 | 79 of 163 |
| Civil liberties | 0.806 | 2025 | 66 of 163 |
| Freedom from political violence | 0.857 | 2025 | 60 of 163 |
| Equal protection of rights | 0.733 | 2025 | 54 of 163 |
| Academic freedom | 0.795 | 2025 | 54 of 163 |
| Media censorship effort | 0.426 | 2025 | 87 of 163 |
| Harassment of journalists | 0.787 | 2025 | 67 of 163 |
| Media self-censorship | 0.641 | 2025 | 73 of 163 |
| Universal right to vote | 1.000 | 2025 | 88 of 167 |
| Legal rights for women | 80.0 | 2023 | 92 of 164 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | 0.000 | 2023 | 155 of 164 |
| Access to justice for women | 0.000 | 2025 | 115 of 163 |
| Access to justice for men | 0.000 | 2025 | 120 of 163 |
| Civil liberties score | 38.0 | 2025 | 70 of 167 |
| Political rights score | 30.0 | 2025 | 61 of 167 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | 39.4% | 2025 | 106 of 125 |
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | 15.6% | 2024 | 34 of 83 |
| Regulatory quality | 45.6 | 2024 | 112 of 169 |
| GDP per capita | $1,623 | 2025 | 153 of 157 |
| GDP growth | 1.9% | 2025 | — |
| Inflation | 28.4% | 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 5.1% | 2025 | 80 of 163 |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | 19.0% | 2024 | 145 of 154 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | 0.1 | 2024 | 130 of 134 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 69.3 | 2024 | 128 of 134 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | 0.557 | 2025 | 72 of 163 |
| Liberal democracy | 0.462 | 2025 | 64 of 163 |
| Rule of law | 0.567 | 2025 | 79 of 163 |
| Judicial checks on government | 0.732 | 2025 | 68 of 163 |
| Legislative checks on government | 0.922 | 2025 | 18 of 157 |
| Political corruption | 0.628 | 2025 | 95 of 163 |
| Civil society participation | 0.931 | 2025 | 12 of 163 |
| Women’s political empowerment | 0.755 | 2025 | 86 of 163 |
| Voice and accountability | 54.9 | 2024 | 76 of 170 |
| Control of corruption | 34.7 | 2024 | 111 of 170 |
| Government effectiveness | 37.2 | 2024 | 124 of 169 |
| Political stability | 59.4 | 2024 | 101 of 170 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | 0.517 | 2023 | 144 of 165 |
| Life expectancy | 67.6 | 2024 | 130 of 170 |
| Health spending | 6.5% | 2023 | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | 12.0% | 2023 | 26 of 164 |
| Maternal mortality | 225.0 | 2023 | 133 of 167 |
| Women in parliament | 21.4% | 2025 | 102 of 156 |
| Women in the workforce | 58.2% | 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 3.59 | 2024 | — |
| Urban population | 17.6% | 2025 | — |
| Refugees who left | 2.6 | 2024 | 47 of 168 |
| Population | 22.2M | 2025 | — |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | 0.22 | 2024 | 16 of 165 |
| Renewable energy use | 71.1% | 2021 | 28 of 169 |
| Access to electricity | 15.6% | 2024 | 167 of 169 |
What is missing
8 of the 60 statistics here have no figure for Malawi in the year they were last ranked. Coverage differs by source: an indicator missing here is one its producer does not publish for Malawi, not a zero. Who publishes what