Labor force, female in Malawi
Malawi: Labor force, female was 48.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force, female in Malawi, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
The most recent figure for labor force, female in Malawi is 48.4%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, female in Malawi peaked at 51.0% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 48.2%, in 2020.
Malawi ranks 33rd of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Labor force, female in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 51.0% | — |
| 1991 | 50.9% | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 50.8% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 50.7% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 50.6% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 50.5% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 50.5% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 50.4% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 50.3% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 50.3% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 50.4% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 50.5% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 50.5% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 50.6% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 50.7% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 50.7% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 50.5% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 50.3% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 50.1% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 49.8% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 49.4% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 49.1% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 49.0% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 48.8% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 48.7% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 48.5% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 48.4% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 48.3% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 48.5% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 48.6% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 48.2% | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 48.7% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 48.5% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 48.5% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 48.4% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 48.4% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 50.6% | 50.3% | 51.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 50.4% | 49.8% | 50.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.7% | 48.3% | 49.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 48.4% | 48.2% | 48.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More education data for Malawi
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,021 tertiary education (2022)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0497 % change on previous year (2014)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 87,834 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 57.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.1% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, female in Malawi?
- Labor force, female in Malawi was 48.4% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
- What is the highest labor force, female recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 51.0% in 1990.
- What is the lowest labor force, female recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.2% in 2020.
- How does Malawi rank for labor force, female?
- Malawi ranks 33rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, female rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database, published as part of Labor force, female (% of total labor force). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Female labor force as a percentage of the total show the extent to which women are active in the labor force. Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.