Merchandise trade in Malawi
Malawi: Merchandise trade was 30.9% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Merchandise trade in Malawi, 1980–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, merchandise trade in Malawi stood at 30.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 18.2% on the previous year and down 14.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Malawi peaked at 50.3% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 20.0%, in 2022.
Malawi ranks 173rd of 204 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Merchandise trade in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 40.8% | — |
| 1981 | 35.6% | -12.5% |
| 1982 | 31.6% | -11.3% |
| 1983 | 30.3% | -4.1% |
| 1984 | 33.3% | +9.7% |
| 1985 | 32.4% | -2.5% |
| 1986 | 29.5% | -9.1% |
| 1987 | 33.2% | +12.7% |
| 1988 | 34.6% | +4.0% |
| 1989 | 33.3% | -3.7% |
| 1990 | 36.2% | +8.9% |
| 1991 | 36.5% | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 43.2% | +18.2% |
| 1993 | 28.7% | -33.5% |
| 1994 | 48.8% | +69.7% |
| 1995 | 43.3% | -11.3% |
| 1996 | 33.3% | -23.1% |
| 1997 | 34.0% | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 37.1% | +9.2% |
| 1999 | 43.6% | +17.3% |
| 2000 | 35.9% | -17.6% |
| 2001 | 39.8% | +10.9% |
| 2002 | 21.9% | -45.1% |
| 2003 | 28.4% | +29.9% |
| 2004 | 28.0% | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 31.7% | +13.6% |
| 2006 | 34.0% | +7.1% |
| 2007 | 35.0% | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 37.6% | +7.4% |
| 2009 | 36.6% | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 32.3% | -11.6% |
| 2011 | 33.1% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 44.8% | +35.2% |
| 2013 | 50.3% | +12.2% |
| 2014 | 47.4% | -5.7% |
| 2015 | 36.2% | -23.5% |
| 2016 | 41.4% | +14.3% |
| 2017 | 37.9% | -8.5% |
| 2018 | 35.7% | -5.9% |
| 2019 | 34.3% | -3.8% |
| 2020 | 29.3% | -14.6% |
| 2021 | 33.0% | +12.5% |
| 2022 | 20.0% | -39.3% |
| 2023 | 30.7% | +53.7% |
| 2024 | 37.8% | +22.9% |
| 2025 | 30.9% | -18.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 33.5% | 29.5% | 40.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 38.5% | 28.7% | 48.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.9% | 21.9% | 39.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.3% | 32.3% | 50.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.3% | 20.0% | 37.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More private sector data for Malawi
- Food imports 11.8% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 68.1% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 3.66 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 90.2% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 8.0% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 947.00 million current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 42.63 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0635 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate -1.15 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 164.79 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in Malawi?
- Merchandise trade in Malawi was 30.9% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 50.3% in 2013.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.0% in 2022.
- How does Malawi rank for merchandise trade?
- Malawi ranks 173rd out of 204 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise trade (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
General merchandise trade includes goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e. It is the total of merchandise exports plus merchandise imports. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.