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Overview In 2023 Malawi was the number 163 economy in the world in terms of total exports and the number 155 in total imports.

Exports The top exports of Malawi are Raw Tobacco ($434M), Tea ($76.1M), Dried Legumes ($75.3M), Soybean Meal ($40.2M), and Raw Sugar ($34.9M), exporting mostly to Germany ($99.1M), India ($67.2M), Zimbabwe ($52.4M), South Africa ($48.2M), and United States ($47.5M).

Imports The top imports of Malawi are Refined Petroleum ($580M), Nitrogenous Fertilizers ($176M), Mixed Mineral or Chemical Fertilizers ($151M), Documents of title (bonds etc) and unused stamps ($111M), and Used Clothing ($92.5M), importing mostly from China ($532M), South Africa ($502M), United Arab Emirates ($392M), India ($219M), and Tanzania ($215M).

Location Malawi borders Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia by land.

Latest Trends

Latest Trade

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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.

* Trade values are converted to USD using each month's exchange rate. For December 2023 data, the exchange rate from December 30, 2023 is used.

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Latest Data

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Depth

The data obtained is mirror data. The trade of countries that do not report current data can be reconstructed based on data reported by partner countries with current data available.

*All data is converted to USD using January 2020 exchange rates when data is reported in local currency.

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Historical Data

Yearly Trade

Flow
Color
Depth
Top Export (2023)Raw Tobacco$434M
Top Destination (2023)Germany$99.1M

In 2023, Malawi exported a total of $922M, making it the number 163 exporter in the world. During the last five reported years the exports of Malawi have changed by -$69.4M from $992M in 2018 to $922M in 2023.

The most recent exports are led by Raw Tobacco ($434M), Tea ($76.1M), Dried Legumes ($75.3M), Soybean Meal ($40.2M), and Raw Sugar ($34.9M). The most common destination for the exports of Malawi are Germany ($99.1M), India ($67.2M), Zimbabwe ($52.4M), South Africa ($48.2M), and United States ($47.5M).

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Exports (2023)
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Destinations (2023)
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Market Growth

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Growth
Fastest Growing Export Markets (2022 - 2023)
France$28.5M (+ 1.03k%)
China$15.9M (+ 111%)
India$12M (+ 21.8%)
Fastest Growing Import Markets (2022 - 2023)
China$199M (+ 59.8%)
South Africa$195M (+ 63.7%)
Tanzania$171M (+ 386%)

Total Export Growth by Market (2022 - 2023)

Potential Exports

Potential Exports

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Service Trade

Service Trade

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).

Service Exports (2019)

Service Imports (2019)

Economic Complexity

Overview

Economic Complexity (Research)-0.24Rank 72 of 140

Most Specialized Products by RCA Index

Malawi has a high level of specialization in Raw Tobacco (896), Tea (258), Dried Vegetables (212), Dried Legumes (103), and Ground Nuts (79.2). Specialization is measured using RCA, an index that takes the ratio between Malawi observed and expected exports in each product.

Export Opportunities by Relatedness

The top export opportunities for Malawi according to the relatedness index, were Gold (0.12), Manganese Ore (0.12), Insect Resins (0.11), Cocoa Beans (0.11), and Other Mineral (0.11). Relatedness measures the distance between a country's current exports and each product. The barchart show only products that Malawi is not specialized in.

Product Space

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.

Relatedness Space

This network shows the products most related to the production structure of Malawi. These are products that tend to be co-exported with the products that Malawi exports. Higher relatedness values ​​indicate greater knowledge, which predicts a greater probability of exporting that product in the future.

Relatedness Space (2023)

Diversification Frontier

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Depth

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.

Diversification Frontier

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