Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Malawi

Malawi: Public and publicly guaranteed debt service was 7.7% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
7.7%
Change on year
up 5.4%
World rank
52nd
of 120 countries
All-time high
37.6%
in 1986
All-time low
1.3%
in 2011
Years of data
47
1978–2024

Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Malawi, 1978–2024

010203040197820012024

Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of exports of goods, services and primary income.

Analysis

The most recent figure for public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Malawi is 7.7%, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.4% on the previous year and up 200.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Malawi peaked at 37.6% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 2011.

That places Malawi 52nd out of 120 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Malawi, year by year

Annual values for Public and publicly guaranteed debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) in Malawi, 1978 to 2024.
Year % of exports of goods, services and primary income Change
1978 17.9%
1979 17.4% -2.8%
1980 21.6% +24.3%
1981 28.0% +29.5%
1982 23.7% -15.2%
1983 19.7% -17.1%
1984 20.2% +2.8%
1985 27.7% +36.8%
1986 37.6% +36.0%
1987 21.4% -43.1%
1988 16.7% -21.7%
1989 18.3% +9.4%
1990 22.4% +22.5%
1991 19.2% -14.2%
1992 18.6% -3.5%
1993 20.3% +9.2%
1994 20.6% +1.4%
1995 22.0% +7.0%
1996 12.3% -44.3%
1997 10.8% -11.8%
1998 10.2% -6.2%
1999 9.3% -8.7%
2000 10.8% +16.0%
2001 8.4% -22.3%
2002 5.8% -30.3%
2003 5.2% -9.9%
2004 8.6% +63.3%
2005 9.8% +14.2%
2006 6.3% -35.9%
2007 3.5% -43.4%
2008 3.1% -13.2%
2009 2.8% -10.2%
2010 1.6% -41.7%
2011 1.3% -17.9%
2012 1.7% +31.7%
2013 2.5% +45.2%
2014 2.5% +0.6%
2015 3.6% +43.2%
2016 4.2% +15.3%
2017 4.5% +5.8%
2018 4.7% +5.2%
2019 5.3% +13.4%
2020 5.4% +1.9%
2021 5.3% -2.6%
2022 7.0% +32.8%
2023 7.3% +3.8%
2024 7.7% +5.4%

Malawi compared with similar countries

  • Malawi's 7.7% is above the median for low income countries, which is 5.2%, 1.5× the median. (21 countries reporting)
  • Malawi's 7.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.7%, 1.3× the median. (43 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 17.6% 17.4% 17.9% 2
1980s 23.5% 16.7% 37.6% 10
1990s 16.6% 9.3% 22.4% 10
2000s 6.4% 2.8% 10.8% 10
2010s 3.2% 1.3% 5.3% 10
2020s 6.5% 5.3% 7.7% 5

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 49 Philippines 7.8% compare
  2. 50 Maldives 7.8% compare
  3. 51 Türkiye 7.7% compare
  4. 53 Nicaragua 7.5% compare
  5. 54 Belize 7.4% compare
  6. 55 Lao People's Democratic Republic 7.3% compare

See the full ranking of 152 places →

More external debt data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Malawi?
Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Malawi was 7.7% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
What is the highest public and publicly guaranteed debt service recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 37.6% in 1986.
What is the lowest public and publicly guaranteed debt service recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 2011.
How does Malawi rank for public and publicly guaranteed debt service?
Malawi ranks 52nd out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
Is public and publicly guaranteed debt service rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is up 200.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Malawi data come from?
The figures come from International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as part of Public and publicly guaranteed debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Malawi. Statizoid, drawing on International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://debt.statizoid.com/stat/public-and-publicly-guaranteed-debt-service-percent-of-exports-of-goods-services-and/malawi/

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About this data

Indicator
Public and publicly guaranteed debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income)
Unit
% of exports of goods, services and primary income
Source
International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
152 places, 5,881 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

Public and publicly guaranteed debt service to exports of goods, services, and income. Public and publicly guaranteed debt service is the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services on long-term obligations of public debtors and long-term private obligations guaranteed by a public entity. Exports of goods, services and primary income is the sum of goods (merchandise) exports, exports of (nonfactor) services and income (factor) receipts.