Country export capability

Malawi
export capability

A reported view of Malawi's export scale, destination network, sector breadth, trade history, and market-access context. Use the indicators together; no single measure describes export readiness on its own.

MWI1995-2024 coverage270 active partner marketsMacro trend weakened
Latest exports$1.0B2024 reported value
Latest imports$2.5B2024 reported value
Trade balance-$1.5BExports minus imports
Export growth+11.8%Latest year-on-year change
Active partners270Latest reported markets

Country export profile overview

Malawi export data in one research view

This profile brings together export performance, trade balance, destination markets, HS2 sectors, partner breadth, history, and market-access context for country export research.

Export scale and balance

Start with the latest reported trade position

In 2024, Malawi recorded $1.0B in exports and $2.5B in imports. The resulting -$1.5B trade balance gives the latest country-level position a clear context.

Exports changed +11.8% year on year and show a calculated -2.2% three-year CAGR. CAGR is an annualized comparison of reported values, not a forecast.

Markets and sectors

See where export value is concentrated

Belgium received $150.7M in reported exports, representing 14.9% of the latest country total. Tobacco was the largest displayed HS2 export sector at $571.7M and 56.5% of exports.

The visible page highlights five leading destinations and five leading HS2 sectors, while the complete structured files retain every row supplied for this sample.

History and coverage

Read today's number against the long series

The country series covers 1995 through 2024, with 30 observed annual rows. That longer view helps separate a single-year movement from the broader export trend.

Partner counts, tariff context, concentration, exposure shares, and momentum are supporting indicators calculated from available trade observations. Missing values remain unavailable rather than estimated.

Economy and structure

The context around Malawi's export base

Macroeconomic and structural indicators add context to merchandise trade scale. They describe the country environment; they do not predict company performance or future exports.

GDP$11.3B2024 macro context
GDP per capita$522.6Current-dollar GDP
Population21.7MReported population
Labor force9.7KReported labor force
Investment rate16.2%National investment rate
Savings rate4.4%National savings rate
Trade openness26.6%Exports + imports / GDP
Exports / GDP7.6%Merchandise exports / GDP
Secondary education26.8%Education context
Tertiary education0.2%Education context

Market signals

Where to look more closely next

Route-level risk and emerging-corridor signals for further research. These are calculated indicators, not forecasts.

Destination risk contextAll covered routes
Destination risk context for Malawi
DestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSACritical attention54.6%52.9%2%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
South AfricaZAFCritical attention84.7%43%7.8%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
United Arab EmiratesAREHigh attention81.8%50.6%5.2%Current trade remains materially below historical peaks
EgyptEGYHigh attention86.9%46%29%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
ZimbabweZWEHigh attention98.7%23.5%6.7%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
United KingdomGBRHigh attention95.1%28%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
Republic of KoreaKORHigh attention98.6%53.7%13.3%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
United Rep. of TanzaniaTZAWatch41.2%2.4%14.9%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
ChinaCHNHigh attention82.2%56.9%28.8%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
IndonesiaIDNHigh attention94.8%7.9%17.9%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure

Full route coverage is retained. High attention means the route deserves closer product and access review.

Market opportunity signals

Product-market combinations worth investigating

All returned rows use buyer demand, exporter position, and calculated addressable-value fields. They are research signals, not forecasts.

Addressable-value signalsAll returned rows
Market opportunity signals for Malawi
RankMarket and productBuyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareDemand signal
1ChinaHS6 854231 · Electronic integrated circuits: processors and controllers, whether or not combined with memories, converters, logic circuits, amplifiers, clock and timing circuits, or other circuits$158.0B$93.1B0%Growing +10.5%
2IndiaHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$130.1B$73.0B0%Declining -0.5%
3ChinaHS6 854232 · Electronic integrated circuits: memories$80.6B$65.7B0%Accelerating +20.6%
4ChinaHS6 120190 · Soya beans: other than seed, whether or not broken$47.8B$62.4B0%Growing -13.5%
5ChinaHS6 854239 · Electronic integrated circuits: n.e.c. in heading no. 8542$81.8B$61.4B0%Slowing +4%
6USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsHS6 851712 · Telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks$53.9B$53.8B0%Stable -8.8%
7USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsHS6 847150 · Digital processing units: other than those of subheadings 8471.41 or 8471.49, whether or not containing in the same housing one or two of the following types of unit: storage units, input units or output units$53.9B$45.6B0%Growing +60.2%
8ChinaHS6 260300 · Copper ores and concentrates$62.6B$35.3B0%Growing +11%

Addressable value is a calculated field. Validate product, buyer, tariff, and route conditions before commercial decisions.

Detailed export portfolioHS4 lines beneath the leading sectorsOpen the detailed four-digit export table for Malawi.
All HS4 export lines2024 ranking
Top HS4 export lines for Malawi
RankHS4Parent HS2 sectorExportsShareActive HS6
12401HS4 detail codeTobacco (24) ↗$566.6M56%3
20713HS4 detail codeVegetables (07) ↗$85.8M8.5%12
37108HS4 detail codePrecious stones and metals (71) ↗$80.9M8%2
40902HS4 detail codeCoffee, tea and spices (09) ↗$63.6M6.3%4
52304HS4 detail codeFood industry residues (23) ↗$35.1M3.5%1
61202HS4 detail codeOil seeds and oleaginous fruits (12) ↗$18.0M1.8%3
70802HS4 detail codeEdible fruit and nuts (08) ↗$17.3M1.7%15
84411HS4 detail codeWood and wood articles (44) ↗$15.7M1.5%6
91701HS4 detail codeSugars and sugar confectionery (17) ↗$12.7M1.3%5
108705HS4 detail codeVehicles (87) ↗$9.7M1%5
111201HS4 detail codeOil seeds and oleaginous fruits (12) ↗$8.2M0.8%2
121207HS4 detail codeOil seeds and oleaginous fruits (12) ↗$7.0M0.7%10

HS4 values are reported observations. The hierarchy is preserved; no missing descriptions are inferred.

The country export read

Malawi combines $1.0B in exports with a broad partner network.

In 2024, Malawi recorded $1.0B in reported exports and $2.5B in imports, producing a reported trade deficit of $1.5B. Exports changed +11.8% year on year and -2.2% annualized over three years. Tobacco (HS2 24) was the largest displayed export sector by value.

Destination network

Where Malawi exports move

All returned destination lanes ranked by latest reported export value. Share is calculated against the country total. Review sources ↗

Latest reported destination lanesAll returned · 2024
Leading export destinations for Malawi
RankDestinationLatest exportsShareYear-on-year3-year CAGR
1BelgiumBEL$150.7M14.9%+17.4%+12.6%
2United Arab EmiratesARE$100.8M10%+305.4%-3.5%
3IndiaIND$63.6M6.3%+38.1%-9.5%
4GermanyDEU$59.9M5.9%-3.4%-4.4%
5South AfricaZAF$51.2M5.1%+6.5%-6%
6ZimbabweZWE$50.3M5%-7.1%+13.2%
7United Rep. of TanzaniaTZA$44.1M4.4%-47.1%-4.1%
8EgyptEGY$40.0M4%+253.6%-4%
9USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$37.9M3.7%-12.2%-5.9%
10TurkeyTUR$37.8M3.7%+85.1%+31.4%

Destination values are reported country-to-country observations. Full returned rows remain in the downloads.

Trade history

A long view of export scale

Latest twelve years from the 30-year reported country series. Context, not a forecast.

Reported exports by year

2013
$1.2B
2014
$1.2B
2015
$1.0B
2016
$971.4M
2017
$843.8M
2018
$881.9M
2019
$960.2M
2020
$832.6M
2021
$1.1B
2022
$1.1B
2023
$904.3M
2024
$1.0B

Partner network

Scale is only one part of export capability

Partner breadth, distance, agreements, and tariffs add context to reported exports.

FTA partner markets17Reported count
WTO partner markets169Reported count
EU partner markets28Reported count
Shared-border partners3Country context
Shared-language partners77Country context
Average partner distance7,927 kmCalculated average
Partners with FTA6.3%Calculated share
Applied tariff context0.1%Calculated average
MFN tariff context0.1%Calculated average
Tariff advantage+0.1 ppPreferential vs MFN

Exposure context

Signals to examine alongside export scale

Calculated or classified route and country context. Not predictions or recommendations.

Attention share40.7%

Covered value under attention

Critical share3.3%

Covered value marked critical

Below historical peak27.7%

Distance below route peaks

FTA-covered exports18.1%

Covered value with FTA context

Weighted tariff context0.1%

Export-weighted tariff

Macro contextMacro trend weakened

Primary attention driver: Market access exposure.

Momentum score7.6

History-based indicator

Partner concentration559.4

Partner HHI

Product concentration2,888.2

Product HHI

Country attention level: Watch. Missing fields remain unavailable.

Complete country valuesOpen the full profile evidenceFull history, sectors, HS4, destinations, risk, opportunities, and source fields.

Profile fields

Year2,024
Country Iso3MWI
Exports Usd$1.0B
Imports Usd$2.5B
Trade Balance Usd-$1.5B
Yoy Exports Growth Pct11.8%
Yoy Imports Growth Pct2.6%
Exports Cagr 3y Pct-2.2%
Imports Cagr 3y Pct2.6%
Export Partner Hhi559.4
Export Product Hhi2,888.2
Momentum Score7.6
Risk Score17.2
Gdp Million Usd11,316.41 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Usd$522.6
Population21,655,286
Labor Force9,677
Investment Rate Pct16.2%
Savings Rate Pct4.4%
Secondary Education Pct26.8%
Tertiary Education Pct0.2%
Total Factor Productivity146.2
Trade Openness Pct26.6%
Exports Gdp Pct7.6%
Num Active Partners270
Num Fta Partners17
Num Wto Partners169
Num Eu Partners28
Num Shared Border Partners3
Num Shared Language Partners77
Avg Partner Distance Km7,927 km
Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd533,678,518.33 million USD
Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd$15.8
Avg Buyer Biz Entry DaysNot reported
Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost PctNot reported
Pct Partners With Fta6
Pct Partners Shared Language29
Pct Partners Shared Border1
Avg Applied Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Mfn Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Preferential Tariff Pct0%
Tariff Advantage Pp+0.1 pp
Avg Distance All Partners Km8,028
Num Border Partners75
Num Colonial Partners25
Avg Substitution Elasticity-8.1
Pct Products High Elasticity66
Pct Products Low Elasticity4
Real Market Potential50,585.9
Foreign Market Potential21,685.1

Exposure fields

Country Iso3MWI
All History Lane Count1,008
Current Lane Count238
Critical Lane Count2
High Attention Lane Count50
High Volatility Lane Count102
Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count121
Declining Demand Lane Count3
Concentrated Market Lane Count127
Access Friction Lane Count81
Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count40
Monitored Exports Current Usd$892.8M
Attention Exports Usd$363.3M
Critical Exports Usd$29.5M
High Volatility Exports Usd$264.6M
Unrecovered Drawdown Exports Usd$239.8M
Non Fta Exports Usd$716.4M
Monitored Attention Share Pct40.7%
Monitored Critical Share Pct3.3%
Fta Covered Exports Share Pct18.1%
Export Weighted Volatility Cv0.8
Export Weighted Below Peak Pct27.7%
Export Weighted Distance Km6,488 km
Export Weighted Tariff Pct0.1%
Latest Data Year2,024
First Data Year1,995
Country Years Count30
Total Exports Latest Usd$1.0B
Total Imports Latest Usd$2.5B
Trade Balance Latest Usd-$1.5B
Exports Yoy Latest Pct11.8%
Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct-2.2%
Gdp Latest Million Usd11,316.41 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd$522.6
Population Latest21,655,286
Investment Rate Latest Pct16.2%
Savings Rate Latest Pct4.4%
Trade Openness Latest Pct26.6%
Exports Gdp Latest Pct7.6%
Active Partners Latest270
Fta Partners Latest17
Foreign Market Potential Latest21,685.1
Gdp 5y Cagr Pct0.5%
Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr Pct-2.1%
Population 5y Cagr Pct2.6%
Partner Hhi Latest559.4
Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct14.9%
Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct31.2%
Partner Hhi All Avg610
Partner Hhi All Max821.8
Product Hhi Latest2,888.2
Product Top1 Share Latest Pct52.1%
Product Top3 Share Latest Pct66.3%
Product Hhi All Avg2,570
Product Hhi All Max4,114.6
Total Exports Attention Share Pct35.9%
Total Exports Critical Share Pct2.9%
Attention LevelWatch
Primary Risk DriverMarket access exposure
Macro Resilience LabelMacro trend weakened

Annual country history

YearExportsImportsTrade balanceExports YoYExports CAGR 3Y
1995$353.8M$300.7M$53.1MNot reportedNot reported
1996$410.4M$308.7M$101.7M+16%Not reported
1997$501.7M$392.8M$108.9M+22.2%Not reported
1998$414.6M$278.5M$136.2M-17.3%+5.4%
1999$411.8M$309.4M$102.4M-0.7%+0.1%
2000$410.0M$501.2M-$91.2M-0.4%-6.5%
2001$453.7M$498.5M-$44.8M+10.7%+3%
2002$428.4M$647.0M-$218.6M-5.6%+1.3%
2003$530.8M$694.7M-$163.9M+23.9%+9%
2004$515.2M$841.5M-$326.3M-3%+4.3%
2005$576.8M$952.1M-$375.3M+12%+10.4%
2006$581.8M$1.0B-$464.4M+0.9%+3.1%
2007$863.4M$1.1B-$240.9M+48.4%+18.8%
2008$755.3M$1.7B-$906.8M-12.5%+9.4%
2009$1.0B$1.7B-$640.7M+37.1%+21.2%
2010$1.1B$1.7B-$635.2M+6.7%+8.6%
2011$1.3B$1.9B-$554.5M+17.5%+19.8%
2012$1.3B$2.3B-$1.0B-2.9%+6.8%
2013$1.2B$2.4B-$1.2B-3.4%+3.3%
2014$1.2B$2.2B-$937.1M+1.5%-1.6%
2015$1.0B$2.2B-$1.1B-17.3%-6.8%
2016$971.4M$2.1B-$1.2B-5%-7.3%
2017$843.8M$2.2B-$1.3B-13.1%-11.9%
2018$881.9M$2.1B-$1.2B+4.5%-4.8%
2019$960.2M$2.1B-$1.1B+8.9%-0.4%
2020$832.6M$2.1B-$1.3B-13.3%-0.4%
2021$1.1B$2.4B-$1.3B+29.9%+7%
2022$1.1B$1.8B-$701.4M-1.4%+3.6%
2023$904.3M$2.5B-$1.6B-15.2%+2.8%
2024$1.0B$2.5B-$1.5B+11.8%-2.2%

Top export sectors

RankHS2SectorExportsShareExport partnersActive HS6
124Tobacco$571.7M56.5%6910
207Vegetables$86.2M8.5%4462
371Precious stones and metals$81.5M8.1%4122
409Coffee, tea and spices$69.6M6.9%6837
523Food industry residues$43.0M4.3%1317
612Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits$36.5M3.6%3547
708Edible fruit and nuts$20.6M2%3465
844Wood and wood articles$18.3M1.8%2974
917Sugars and sugar confectionery$13.4M1.3%3717
1087Vehicles$10.8M1.1%3986

Detailed HS4 export lines

RankHS4Parent HS2ExportsShareActive HS6
12401Tobacco (24)$566.6M56%3
20713Vegetables (07)$85.8M8.5%12
37108Precious stones and metals (71)$80.9M8%2
40902Coffee, tea and spices (09)$63.6M6.3%4
52304Food industry residues (23)$35.1M3.5%1
61202Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits (12)$18.0M1.8%3
70802Edible fruit and nuts (08)$17.3M1.7%15
84411Wood and wood articles (44)$15.7M1.5%6
91701Sugars and sugar confectionery (17)$12.7M1.3%5
108705Vehicles (87)$9.7M1%5
111201Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits (12)$8.2M0.8%2
121207Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits (12)$7.0M0.7%10

Top export destinations

RankDestinationISO3ExportsShareYoYCAGR 3Y
1BelgiumBEL$150.7M14.9%+17.4%+12.6%
2United Arab EmiratesARE$100.8M10%+305.4%-3.5%
3IndiaIND$63.6M6.3%+38.1%-9.5%
4GermanyDEU$59.9M5.9%-3.4%-4.4%
5South AfricaZAF$51.2M5.1%+6.5%-6%
6ZimbabweZWE$50.3M5%-7.1%+13.2%
7United Rep. of TanzaniaTZA$44.1M4.4%-47.1%-4.1%
8EgyptEGY$40.0M4%+253.6%-4%
9USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$37.9M3.7%-12.2%-5.9%
10TurkeyTUR$37.8M3.7%+85.1%+31.4%

Destination risk context

RankDestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)Critical attention54.6%52.9%2%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
2South Africa (ZAF)Critical attention84.7%43%7.8%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
3United Arab Emirates (ARE)High attention81.8%50.6%5.2%Current trade remains materially below historical peaks
4Egypt (EGY)High attention86.9%46%29%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
5Zimbabwe (ZWE)High attention98.7%23.5%6.7%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
6United Kingdom (GBR)High attention95.1%28%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
7Republic of Korea (KOR)High attention98.6%53.7%13.3%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
8United Rep. of Tanzania (TZA)Watch41.2%2.4%14.9%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
9China (CHN)High attention82.2%56.9%28.8%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
10Indonesia (IDN)High attention94.8%7.9%17.9%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure

Emerging corridor signals

RankDestinationHS6SignalMarket importsCurrent shareStrength
1Angola (AGO)842959new$8.7M1.7%100
2United Arab Emirates (ARE)720429new$11.8M4%100
3Congo, Rep. of the (COG)090111new$300.6K70%100
4Angola (AGO)860400new$10.8M4.6%100
5China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKG)030787new$30.0M1.6%100
6Israel (ISR)080450new$1.6M10.1%100
7Israel (ISR)120740new$110.9M0.2%100
8Germany (DEU)530290new$12.5M1.1%100
9Japan (JPN)121221new$257.7M0%100
10Italy (ITA)120740new$21.8M2.4%100

Market opportunity signals

RankMarketHS6Buyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareSignal
1China (CHN)854231$158.0B$93.1B0%Growing (+10.5%)
2India (IND)270900$130.1B$73.0B0%Declining (-0.5%)
3China (CHN)854232$80.6B$65.7B0%Accelerating (+20.6%)
4China (CHN)120190$47.8B$62.4B0%Growing (-13.5%)
5China (CHN)854239$81.8B$61.4B0%Slowing (+4%)
6USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)851712$53.9B$53.8B0%Stable (-8.8%)
7USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)847150$53.9B$45.6B0%Growing (+60.2%)
8China (CHN)260300$62.6B$35.3B0%Growing (+11%)

How to read this page

Separate reported scale from calculated context.

Reported exports, imports, trade balance, sector rows, destination rows, and annual history describe merchandise trade observations for the stated country and year.

CAGR, shares, concentration measures, tariff context, exposure shares, and momentum are calculated indicators built from the available observations. They help organize research but are not additional reported trade or forecasts.

Coverage runs from 1995 through 2024 for this profile. Missing values are shown as Not reported. Read the full methodology ↗

Reported observations

OECD BIMTS merchandise trade values are the primary series for this view.

Calculated indicators

Growth, share, HHI, tariff, and exposure fields are derived from available reported values.

Coverage limits

Unavailable values remain unavailable. No company sales, shipment records, or forecasts are implied.

Questions about this profile

Malawi export capability, in context

Short answers for readers comparing country export scale, partner breadth, and calculated trade indicators.

What does the Malawi export profile measure?

It combines reported exports, imports, history, destinations, HS2 sectors, partner context, and calculated indicators for Malawi.

What is the latest reported export value for Malawi?

Malawi recorded $1.0B in reported exports in 2024.

Which markets receive the most exports from Malawi?

Belgium leads by reported export value at $150.7M in 2024. Five destination lanes are highlighted.

Which sectors lead Malawi's exports?

Tobacco leads by reported value at $571.7M. Five HS2 chapters are highlighted.

How many years of Malawi trade history are available?

This sample contains 30 observed annual rows covering 1995 through 2024. Missing observations are not estimated.

Are the growth and exposure values forecasts?

No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or market-access guarantees.

Continue your research

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Compare countries, products, sectors, and routes using the available trade evidence and definitions.

Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-28). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.