| Economy - overview | Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world's least developed countries. The economy is predominately agricultural, with about 85% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture accounts for about one-third of GDP and four-fifths of export revenues. The performance of the tobacco sector is key to short-term growth as tobacco accounts for more than half of exports. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations. In 2006, Malawi was approved for relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program. The government faces many challenges, including developing a market economy, improving educational facilities, facing up to environmental problems, dealing with the rapidly growing problem of HIV/AIDS, and satisfying foreign donors that fiscal discipline is being tightened. In 2005, President MUTHARIKA championed an anticorruption campaign. Since 2005 President MUTHARIKA'S government has exhibited improved financial discipline under the guidance of Finance Minister Goodall GONDWE. |
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| GDP | 1.3% (2006) |
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| GDP - real growth rate | 8.5% (2006 est.) |
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| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 35.4%
industry: 17.6%
services: 47% (2006 est.) |
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| Population below poverty line | 53% (2004) |
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Household income or consumption
by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Distribution of family income
- Gini index | 50.3 (1997) |
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| Labor force | 4.5 million (2001 est.) |
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| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 90%
industry and services: 10% (2003 est.) |
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| Unemployment rate | NA% |
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| Budget | revenues: $818.4 million
expenditures: $895.9 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) |
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| Industries | tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods |
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| Industrial production growth rate | 6.4% (2006 est.) |
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Electricity -
production | 1.293 billion kWh (2004) |
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Electricity -
production by source | fossil fuel: 3.3%
hydro: 96.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity -
consumption | 1.202 billion kWh (2004) |
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Electricity -
exports | 0 kWh (2004) |
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Electricity -
imports | 0 kWh (2004) |
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| Oil - production | 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
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| Oil - consumption | 5,500 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
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| Oil - exports | NA bbl/day |
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| Oil - imports | NA bbl/day |
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| Agriculture - products | tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses, groundnuts, Macadamia nuts; cattle, goats |
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| Exports | $513.1 million f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
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| Exports - commodities | tobacco 53%, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products, apparel |
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| Exports - partners | US 17.8%, South Africa 11.2%, Egypt 7.6%, Germany 6.9%, Netherlands 6.8%, Japan 4.8%, Russia 4.6%, Mozambique 4.3%, UK 4.2% (2005) |
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| Imports | $767.9 million f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
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| Imports - commodities | food, petroleum products, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment |
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| Imports - partners | South Africa 36.3%, Zambia 9%, Zimbabwe 7.6%, Mozambique 7%, India 6.7%, Tanzania 4.8% (2005) |
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| Debt - external | $982.4 million (2006 est.) |
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| Economic aid - recipient | $401.5 million (2001) |
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| Currency code | MWK |
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| Exchange rates | Malawian kwachas per US dollar - 135.96 (2006), 108.894 (2005), 108.898 (2004), 97.433 (2003), 76.687 (2002) |
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| Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June |
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