Labor force, female in Malawi
Malawi: Labor force, female was 4.02 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, female in Malawi, 1990–2025
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization and United Nations Population Division.
Analysis
In 2025, labor force, female in Malawi stood at 4.02 million. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and up 32.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, female in Malawi peaked at 4.02 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2.14 million, in 1990.
Malawi ranks 54th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Labor force, female in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.14 million | — |
| 1991 | 2.20 million | +2.6% |
| 1992 | 2.25 million | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 2.28 million | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 2.24 million | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 2.23 million | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 2.27 million | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 2.32 million | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 2.36 million | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 2.42 million | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 2.48 million | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 2.55 million | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 2.62 million | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 2.69 million | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 2.76 million | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 2.84 million | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 2.87 million | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 2.89 million | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 2.91 million | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 2.93 million | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 2.95 million | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 2.96 million | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 2.98 million | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 3.00 million | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 3.01 million | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 3.03 million | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 3.05 million | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 3.06 million | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 3.18 million | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 3.30 million | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 3.66 million | +10.8% |
| 2021 | 3.53 million | -3.5% |
| 2022 | 3.65 million | +3.6% |
| 2023 | 3.78 million | +3.5% |
| 2024 | 3.91 million | +3.4% |
| 2025 | 4.02 million | +2.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 4.02 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.70 million, 1.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 4.02 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.51 million, 1.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.27 million | 2.14 million | 2.42 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.75 million | 2.48 million | 2.93 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.05 million | 2.95 million | 3.30 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.76 million | 3.53 million | 4.02 million | 6 |
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 labor force, female in Malawi?
- Labor force, female in Malawi was 4.02 million in 2025, according to World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization and United Nations Population Division.
- What is the highest labor force, female recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 4.02 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force, female recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.14 million in 1990.
- How does Malawi rank for labor force, female?
- Malawi ranks 54th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, female rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization and United Nations Population Division, published as part of Labor force, female. 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 comprises women ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.