Fossil fuel consumption in Malawi
Malawi: Fossil fuel consumption was 6.79 terawatt-hours in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
6.79 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 11.6%
World rank
164th
of 220 countries
All-time high
6.79 terawatt-hours
in 2024
All-time low
1.83 terawatt-hours
in 1984
Years of data
45
1980–2024
Fossil fuel consumption in Malawi, 1980–2024
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
In 2024, fossil fuel consumption in Malawi stood at 6.79 terawatt-hours. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 11.6% on the previous year and up 56.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fossil fuel consumption in Malawi peaked at 6.79 terawatt-hours in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.83 terawatt-hours, in 1984.
Malawi ranks 164th of 220 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Fossil fuel consumption in Malawi, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 2.37 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1981 | 2.55 terawatt-hours | +7.8% |
| 1982 | 2.27 terawatt-hours | -11.1% |
| 1983 | 1.9 terawatt-hours | -16.1% |
| 1984 | 1.83 terawatt-hours | -3.9% |
| 1985 | 2.15 terawatt-hours | +17.3% |
| 1986 | 2 terawatt-hours | -6.7% |
| 1987 | 2.01 terawatt-hours | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 2.02 terawatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 2.46 terawatt-hours | +21.8% |
| 1990 | 2.58 terawatt-hours | +5.0% |
| 1991 | 3.11 terawatt-hours | +20.4% |
| 1992 | 3.13 terawatt-hours | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 3.01 terawatt-hours | -3.9% |
| 1994 | 3.21 terawatt-hours | +6.8% |
| 1995 | 3.38 terawatt-hours | +5.4% |
| 1996 | 3.42 terawatt-hours | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 3.43 terawatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 3.41 terawatt-hours | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 3.42 terawatt-hours | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 3.64 terawatt-hours | +6.4% |
| 2001 | 3.41 terawatt-hours | -6.4% |
| 2002 | 3.22 terawatt-hours | -5.6% |
| 2003 | 3.46 terawatt-hours | +7.5% |
| 2004 | 3.6 terawatt-hours | +4.3% |
| 2005 | 3.25 terawatt-hours | -9.7% |
| 2006 | 3.43 terawatt-hours | +5.3% |
| 2007 | 3.33 terawatt-hours | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 3.93 terawatt-hours | +17.9% |
| 2009 | 3.49 terawatt-hours | -11.2% |
| 2010 | 4.36 terawatt-hours | +24.8% |
| 2011 | 4.28 terawatt-hours | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 4.21 terawatt-hours | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 4.33 terawatt-hours | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 4.33 terawatt-hours | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 4.08 terawatt-hours | -5.7% |
| 2016 | 4.68 terawatt-hours | +14.7% |
| 2017 | 5.28 terawatt-hours | +12.9% |
| 2018 | 5.28 terawatt-hours | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 6.19 terawatt-hours | +17.2% |
| 2020 | 6.06 terawatt-hours | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 6.03 terawatt-hours | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 6.25 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 2023 | 6.09 terawatt-hours | -2.5% |
| 2024 | 6.79 terawatt-hours | +11.6% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 6.79 terawatt-hours is below the median for low income countries, which is 12.59 terawatt-hours, 54% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 6.79 terawatt-hours is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 17.75 terawatt-hours, 38% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.16 terawatt-hours | 1.83 terawatt-hours | 2.55 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.21 terawatt-hours | 2.58 terawatt-hours | 3.43 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.48 terawatt-hours | 3.22 terawatt-hours | 3.93 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.7 terawatt-hours | 4.08 terawatt-hours | 6.19 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.24 terawatt-hours | 6.03 terawatt-hours | 6.79 terawatt-hours | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More energy & mining data for Malawi
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 7.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel imports 16.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fossil fuel consumption in Malawi?
- Fossil fuel consumption in Malawi was 6.79 terawatt-hours in 2024, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fossil fuel consumption recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 6.79 terawatt-hours in 2024.
- What is the lowest fossil fuel consumption recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.83 terawatt-hours in 1984.
- How does Malawi rank for fossil fuel consumption?
- Malawi ranks 164th out of 220 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fossil fuel consumption rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 56.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Fossil fuel consumption. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours. Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and gas.