Economy · Tax revenue · Malawi
Malawi’s tax revenue rose to 15.6% of GDP in 2024.
15.6% of GDP
2024
Up 1.4 pp from 2023.
Updated 8 Oct 2026
In plain words
15.6% of GDP
What it is. Tax revenue counts the compulsory payments that the central government collects, mainly income tax, VAT, customs duties and excise, and expresses them as a share of the economy's total output. Measuring against GDP lets readers compare years and countries of different sizes. It covers central government only, so local council levies are left out, and it leaves out grants, borrowing and other non-tax income.
Higher is better. A higher share is better because it means the state can fund roads, clinics and schools from its own collections rather than relying on aid or debt. The latest figure, for 2024, is 15.6% of GDP, up from 14.2% of GDP a year earlier, a rise of 1.4 percentage points. Since 2015 the range runs from a low of 10.5% of GDP in 2015 to a high of 15.6% of GDP in 2024. The latest reading therefore sits at the top of its own range for the period.
Why it matters. At 15.6% of GDP, Malawi's government collects a larger slice of national income than at any point since 2015, which gives the Treasury more room to pay for services and to service its debts. Households and firms carry that burden through taxes on earnings, purchases and trade. The next annual figure will show whether the 2024 level holds.
| Period | Tax revenue · Malawi |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 10.5% of GDP |
| 2016 | 10.6% of GDP |
| 2017 | 12.2% of GDP |
| 2018 | 12.2% of GDP |
| 2019 | 12% of GDP |
| 2020 | 12.1% of GDP |
| 2021 | 11.6% of GDP |
| 2022 | 13.5% of GDP |
| 2023 | 14.2% of GDP |
| 2024 | 15.6% of GDP |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Strata-AF™ Data, Tax revenue, Malawi, 2024; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 8 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/economy/tax-revenue/malawi
Data insights · Worked out from the published figures
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Methodology
Central government tax revenue as a share of GDP. Unit: % of GDP.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series GC.TAX.TOTL.GD.ZS), retrieved through the World Bank API and published under CC BY 4.0. Updated annually; the World Bank's own source notes apply.