Malawi2019 Economic Complexity : -0.59, Rank 101 of 146
2019 Product Exports | Imports: $1.05B | $2.8B, 156 of 225 | 154 of 225
2019 Per Capita Product Exports | Imports: $56.3 | $151, 208 of 219 | 207 of 219
2019 Service Exports | Imports : $182M | $358M, 62 of 69 | 65 of 69
Overview In 2019 Malawi was the number 145 economy in the world in terms of GDP (current US$), the number 156 in total exports, the number 154 in total imports, the number 186 economy in terms of GDP per capita (current US$) and the number 101 most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI).
Exports The top exports of Malawi are Raw Tobacco ($584M), Tea ($83.4M), Raw Sugar ($75.2M), Dried Legumes ($46M), and Other Nuts ($33M), exporting mostly to Belgium ($168M), United States ($89M), Egypt ($72.3M), South Africa ($60.4M), and Germany ($58.3M).
Imports The top imports of Malawi are Postage Stamps ($270M), Refined Petroleum ($194M), Packaged Medicaments ($123M), Mixed Mineral or Chemical Fertilizers ($97.3M), and Office Machine Parts ($84.5M), importing mostly from South Africa ($480M), China ($456M), United Arab Emirates ($264M), India ($238M), and United Kingdom ($220M).
Location Malawi borders Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia by land.
The following section uses the most recent trade data from partners of Malawi.
Disclaimer: data is presented based on availability and only countries that use the harmonized system are being shown.
*All data is converted to USD using January 2020 exchange rates when data is reported in local currency.
Top Export (2019): Raw Tobacco, $584M
Top Destination (2019): Belgium, $168M
In 2019, Malawi exported a total of $1.05B, making it the number 156 exporter in the world. During the last five reported years the exports of Malawi have changed by -$411M from $1.46B in 2014 to $1.05B in 2019.
The most recent exports are led by Raw Tobacco ($584M), Tea ($83.4M), Raw Sugar ($75.2M), Dried Legumes ($46M), and Other Nuts ($33M). The most common destination for the exports of Malawi are Belgium ($168M), United States ($89M), Egypt ($72.3M), South Africa ($60.4M), and Germany ($58.3M).
Top Import (2019): Postage Stamps, $270M
Top Origin (2019): South Africa, $480M
In 2019 Malawi imported $2.8B, making it the number 154 trade destination in the world. During the last five reported years the imports of Malawi changed by $203M from $2.6B in 2014 to $2.8B in 2019.
The most recent imports of Malawi are led by Postage Stamps ($270M), Refined Petroleum ($194M), Packaged Medicaments ($123M), Mixed Mineral or Chemical Fertilizers ($97.3M), and Office Machine Parts ($84.5M). The most common import partners for Malawi are South Africa ($480M), China ($456M), United Arab Emirates ($264M), India ($238M), and United Kingdom ($220M).
Fastest Growing Export Markets (2018 - 2019)
Fastest Growing Import Markets (2018 - 2019)
Malawi Exports Services (2019): $182M
Malawi Imports Services (2019): $358M
In 2019, Malawi exported $182M worth of services. The top services exported by Malawi in 2019 were Computer and information services ($44.1M), Transportation ($30.3M), Business travel ($30.2M), Insurance services ($25.9M), and Financial services ($18.7M).
The top services imported by Malawi in 2019 were Transportation ($94.4M), Other business services ($62.5M), Business travel ($53.7M), Personal travel ($53.5M), and Insurance services ($33.8M).
The top product import tariffs by their MFN Ad Valorem value for Malawi are Acrylic & vinyl polymer based paint, varnish, in wate (25%)and Acrylic or vinyl polymer paint or varnish, non-aqueou (25%).
Click any of the products in the bar chart to see the specific Ad Valorem Duty Rates by partner country.
*The tariffs applied to imports for Malawi are:
Malawi has a high level of specialization in Raw Tobacco (944), Tea (193), Ground Nuts (176), Dried Legumes (81.8), and Raw Sugar (59.7). Specialization is measured using RCA, an index that takes the ratio between Malawi observed and expected exports in each product.
The highest complexity exports of Malawi according to the product complexity index (PCI) are Machines for processing textile fibres (1.01), Equipment for soldering, brazing or welding (0.81), Milking machines and dairy machinery (0.53), Electrical apparatus for voltage over 1 kV (0.34), and Sets of hand tools, retail (0.21). PCI measures the knowledge intensity of a product by considering the knowledge intensity of its exporters.
The top export opportunities for Malawi according to the relatedness index, are Niobium, Tantalum, Vanadium and Zirconium Ore (0.11), Coconuts, Brazil Nuts, and Cashews (0.1), Manganese Ore (0.1), Tin Ores (0.1), and Insect Resins (0.099). Relatedness measures the distance between a country's current exports and each product. The barchart show only products that Malawi is not specialized in.
The product space is a network connecting products that are likely to be co-exported. The product space can be used to predict future exports, since countries are more likely to start exporting products that are related to current exports. Relatedness measures the distance between a product, and all of the products a country currently specializes in.
The Complexity-Relatedness diagram compares the risk vs strategic value of a country's potential export oppotunities. Relatedness is predictive of the probability that a country increases its exports in a product. Complexity, is associated with higher levels of income, economic growth, less income inequality, and lower greenhouse emissions.
During the last 10 years Malawi's economy has become relatively more complex, moving from the 128th to the 101st position in the ECI rank.
These economic complexity rankings use 6 digit exports classified according to the HS96 classification. We consider only countries with population of at least 1 million and exports of at least $1 billion, and products with world trade over $500 million. To explore different rankings and vary these parameters visit the custom rankings section.