Malawi — Inflation
Inflation, Consumer Prices (Annual %) for Malawi, 1981–2025.
Inflation for Malawi was 28.37% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 45 years, from 1981 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 83.33% in 1995. The lowest was 7.41% in 2010 (about 3.8× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 2.01% per year.
Malawi ranks 8 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 4%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 3.51%, so Malawi sits above it. It peaked in 1995 and has fallen 66% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 30%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 5 of 46 economies; Nigeria (23.01%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 226% in 1998. That is 52% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1981 level: doubled by 1987. Doubling roughly every 35 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 64th of 114 in 1981 → 48th of 131 in 1990 → 11th of 163 in 2000 → 30th of 186 in 2010 → 22nd of 178 in 2020 → 5th of 169 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1981 to 2025
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 28.37% | -3.8 pp |
| 2024 | 32.18% | +3.4 pp |
| 2023 | 28.79% | +7.8 pp |
| 2022 | 20.95% | +11.6 pp |
| 2021 | 9.33% | +0.7 pp |
| 2020 | 8.63% | -0.7 pp |
| 2019 | 9.37% | -3.0 pp |
| 2018 | 12.42% | +0.9 pp |
| 2017 | 11.54% | -10.2 pp |
| 2016 | 21.71% | -0.2 pp |
| 2015 | 21.87% | -1.9 pp |
| 2014 | 23.79% | -3.5 pp |
| 2013 | 27.28% | +6.0 pp |
| 2012 | 21.27% | +13.6 pp |
| 2011 | 7.62% | +0.2 pp |
| 2010 | 7.41% | -1.0 pp |
| 2009 | 8.42% | -0.3 pp |
| 2008 | 8.71% | +0.8 pp |
| 2007 | 7.95% | -6.0 pp |
| 2006 | 13.97% | -1.4 pp |
| 2005 | 15.41% | +4.0 pp |
| 2004 | 11.43% | +1.9 pp |
| 2003 | 9.58% | -5.2 pp |
| 2002 | 14.74% | -8.0 pp |
| 2001 | 22.7% | -6.9 pp |
| 2000 | 29.58% | -15.2 pp |
| 1999 | 44.8% | +15.1 pp |
| 1998 | 29.75% | +20.6 pp |
| 1997 | 9.14% | -28.5 pp |
| 1996 | 37.6% | -45.7 pp |
| 1995 | 83.33% | +48.7 pp |
| 1994 | 34.65% | +11.9 pp |
| 1993 | 22.77% | -1.0 pp |
| 1992 | 23.75% | +11.1 pp |
| 1991 | 12.62% | +0.8 pp |
| 1990 | 11.82% | -0.6 pp |
| 1989 | 12.45% | -21.5 pp |
| 1988 | 33.91% | +8.8 pp |
| 1987 | 25.16% | +11.1 pp |
| 1986 | 14.05% | +3.5 pp |
| 1985 | 10.52% | -9.5 pp |
| 1984 | 20.03% | +6.5 pp |
| 1983 | 13.5% | +3.7 pp |
| 1982 | 9.82% | -2.0 pp |
| 1981 | 11.81% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Malawi’s Inflation in 1982?
9.82% (1982). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in annual %, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Malawi’s Inflation growing or shrinking?
Between 1981 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +140.1% in total — about 2.0% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 28.37%; 2024: 32.18%; 2023: 28.79%; 2022: 20.95%; 2021: 9.33%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG — Inflation, Consumer Prices (Annual %). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.