Malawi: Trade openness

* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
 Malawi

Trade openness: exports plus imports as percent of GDP

 Latest value 39.40
 Year 2025
 Measure percent
 Data availability 2017 - 2025
 Average 42.90
 Min - Max 39.40 - 45.30
 Source The World Bank
 Available for Data download
The latest value from 2025 is 39.4 percent, a decline from 41.9 percent in 2024. In comparison, the world average is 90.55 percent, based on data from 135 countries. Historically, the average for Malawi from 2017 to 2025 is 42.9 percent. The minimum value, 39.4 percent, was reached in 2025 while the maximum of 45.3 percent was recorded in 2017. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.
Select indicator
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
From   To 


 Recent values Malawi: Trade openness
 2025 39.40
 2024 41.90
 2023 42.44
 2022 43.62
 2021 44.60
 2020 41.03
 2019 44.20
 2018 43.58




Definition: Exports plus imports as percent of GDP.

Other resources:

Download data from our database

All indicators for Malawi

All indicators on the website

Article: Are trade deficits bad for the economy?

Article: Sources of economic growth

Article: Currency values and investment returns

All articles



 Related indicators Latest Reference Measure
 Terms of trade 96.30 2024 percent
 Trade openness 39.40 2025 percent
 Financial openness -1.248 2022 index points
 Exports, percent of GDP 10.65 2025 percent
 Exports, billion dollars 1.59 2025 billion U.S. dollars
 Growth of exports 3.00 2025 percent
 Imports, percent of GDP 28.75 2025 percent
 Imports, billion dollars 4.29 2025 billion U.S. dollars
 Foreign Direct Investment, percent of GDP 2.28 2024 percent
 Foreign Direct Investment, billion dollars 0.26 2024 billion U.S. dollars
 Portfolio investment inflows, equities 0.48 2015 million dollars (current)
 Current account, percent of GDP -18.79 2024 percent
 Current account, in dollars -2.13 2024 billion U.S. dollars
 Trade balance, percent of GDP -18.10 2025 percent
 Trade balance, in dollars -2.39 2024 billion U.S. dollars
 Reserves 0.59 2020 billion U.S. dollars
 Remittances, percent of GDP 1.65 2024 percent
 Remittances 305.71 2025 million U.S. dollars
 Net errors and omissions 494.44 2024 million USD
 External debt 26.82 2023 percent
 Short-term external debt 0.38 2023 percent
 Short-term debt to reserves 30.01 2020 percent
This site uses cookies.
Learn more here


OK