Human Development Index vs. mean male height in Malawi
Malawi: Human Development Index vs. mean male height was 0.517 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Human Development Index vs. mean male height in Malawi, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, human development index vs. mean male height in Malawi stood at 0.517. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, human development index vs. mean male height in Malawi peaked at 0.517 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.306, in 1990.
That places Malawi 172nd out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Human Development Index vs. mean male height in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.306 | — |
| 1991 | 0.31 | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 0.318 | +2.6% |
| 1993 | 0.324 | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 0.325 | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 0.37 | +13.8% |
| 1996 | 0.375 | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 0.379 | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 0.384 | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 0.392 | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 0.394 | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 0.4 | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 0.407 | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 0.414 | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 0.421 | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 0.427 | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 0.436 | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 0.444 | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 0.455 | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 0.465 | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 0.475 | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 0.483 | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 0.488 | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 0.494 | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 0.5 | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 0.504 | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 0.506 | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 0.508 | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 0.51 | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 0.513 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 0.512 | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 0.509 | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 0.513 | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 0.517 | +0.8% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 0.517 is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.496, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 0.517 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.56, 92% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.3483 | 0.306 | 0.392 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4263 | 0.394 | 0.465 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4981 | 0.475 | 0.513 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5128 | 0.509 | 0.517 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More gender data for Malawi
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 9,494 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 1.4 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 15,667 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 15,667 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 3.13 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 330,369 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 332,767 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 322,764 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 324,764 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 316,113 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is human development index vs. mean male height in Malawi?
- Human development index vs. mean male height in Malawi was 0.517 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest human development index vs. mean male height recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 0.517 in 2023.
- What is the lowest human development index vs. mean male height recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.306 in 1990.
- How does Malawi rank for human development index vs. mean male height?
- Malawi ranks 172nd out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is human development index vs. mean male height rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Human Development Index vs. mean male height. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, a good education, and a decent standard of living. Higher values indicate higher human development.