Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (%) in Malawi
Malawi: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (%) was 21.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Malawi, 1997–2025
Source: Monthly ranking of women in national parliaments, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Malawi stood at 21.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 28.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Malawi peaked at 22.9% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 5.6%, in 1997.
That places Malawi 119th out of 193 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (%) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 5.6% | — |
| 1998 | 5.6% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 8.3% | +46.7% |
| 2000 | 9.3% | +12.5% |
| 2001 | 9.3% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 9.3% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 9.3% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 14.0% | +50.0% |
| 2005 | 13.6% | -2.7% |
| 2006 | 13.6% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 13.0% | -4.8% |
| 2008 | 13.0% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 20.8% | +60.8% |
| 2010 | 20.8% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 22.3% | +6.9% |
| 2012 | 22.3% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 22.3% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 16.7% | -25.2% |
| 2015 | 16.7% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 16.7% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 16.7% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 16.7% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 22.9% | +37.5% |
| 2020 | 22.9% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 22.9% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 22.9% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 20.7% | -9.6% |
| 2024 | 20.7% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 21.4% | +3.4% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 21.4% is above the median for low income countries, which is 21.4%, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 21.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 23.3%, 92% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.5% | 5.6% | 8.3% | 3 |
| 2000s | 12.5% | 9.3% | 20.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.4% | 16.7% | 22.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.9% | 20.7% | 22.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More public sector data for Malawi
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 2.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.9237 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2022)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0015 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2016)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Malawi?
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments in Malawi was 21.4% in 2025, according to Monthly ranking of women in national parliaments, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
- What is the highest proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 22.9% in 2019.
- What is the lowest proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.6% in 1997.
- How does Malawi rank for proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments?
- Malawi ranks 119th out of 193 countries with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 28.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Monthly ranking of women in national parliaments, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), published as part of Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Women in parliaments are the percentage of parliamentary seats in a single or lower chamber held by women.