Oil consumption in Malawi
Malawi: Oil consumption was 6.25 terawatt-hours in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
6.25 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 3.0%
World rank
166th
of 220 countries
All-time high
6.25 terawatt-hours
in 2024
All-time low
1.45 terawatt-hours
in 1984
Years of data
45
1980–2024
Oil consumption in Malawi, 1980–2024
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026); Etemad & Luciani (1991) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for oil consumption in Malawi is 6.25 terawatt-hours, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.0% on the previous year and up 65.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, oil consumption in Malawi peaked at 6.25 terawatt-hours in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.45 terawatt-hours, in 1984.
That places Malawi 166th out of 220 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Oil consumption in Malawi, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1.89 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1981 | 2.2 terawatt-hours | +16.3% |
| 1982 | 1.82 terawatt-hours | -17.1% |
| 1983 | 1.51 terawatt-hours | -17.2% |
| 1984 | 1.45 terawatt-hours | -3.9% |
| 1985 | 1.7 terawatt-hours | +17.1% |
| 1986 | 1.57 terawatt-hours | -7.4% |
| 1987 | 1.57 terawatt-hours | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 1.57 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 1.99 terawatt-hours | +27.2% |
| 1990 | 2.12 terawatt-hours | +6.2% |
| 1991 | 2.68 terawatt-hours | +26.9% |
| 1992 | 2.69 terawatt-hours | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 2.55 terawatt-hours | -5.4% |
| 1994 | 2.75 terawatt-hours | +7.8% |
| 1995 | 2.92 terawatt-hours | +6.5% |
| 1996 | 2.93 terawatt-hours | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 2.92 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 2.92 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 2.92 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 3.14 terawatt-hours | +7.3% |
| 2001 | 2.92 terawatt-hours | -7.0% |
| 2002 | 2.74 terawatt-hours | -6.2% |
| 2003 | 3.01 terawatt-hours | +10.0% |
| 2004 | 3.19 terawatt-hours | +6.0% |
| 2005 | 2.83 terawatt-hours | -11.3% |
| 2006 | 2.97 terawatt-hours | +5.2% |
| 2007 | 2.9 terawatt-hours | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 3.52 terawatt-hours | +21.5% |
| 2009 | 3.09 terawatt-hours | -12.2% |
| 2010 | 3.9 terawatt-hours | +26.1% |
| 2011 | 3.67 terawatt-hours | -5.8% |
| 2012 | 3.61 terawatt-hours | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 3.73 terawatt-hours | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 3.78 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 3.46 terawatt-hours | -8.4% |
| 2016 | 4.09 terawatt-hours | +18.1% |
| 2017 | 4.67 terawatt-hours | +14.1% |
| 2018 | 4.64 terawatt-hours | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 5.57 terawatt-hours | +20.0% |
| 2020 | 5.53 terawatt-hours | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 5.55 terawatt-hours | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 5.9 terawatt-hours | +6.2% |
| 2023 | 6.07 terawatt-hours | +2.9% |
| 2024 | 6.25 terawatt-hours | +3.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 6.25 terawatt-hours is below the median for low income countries, which is 11.66 terawatt-hours, 54% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 6.25 terawatt-hours is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.66 terawatt-hours, 49% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.73 terawatt-hours | 1.45 terawatt-hours | 2.2 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.74 terawatt-hours | 2.12 terawatt-hours | 2.93 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.03 terawatt-hours | 2.74 terawatt-hours | 3.52 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.11 terawatt-hours | 3.46 terawatt-hours | 5.57 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.86 terawatt-hours | 5.53 terawatt-hours | 6.25 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 oil consumption in Malawi?
- Oil consumption in Malawi was 6.25 terawatt-hours in 2024, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026); Etemad & Luciani (1991) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest oil consumption recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 6.25 terawatt-hours in 2024.
- What is the lowest oil consumption recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.45 terawatt-hours in 1984.
- How does Malawi rank for oil consumption?
- Malawi ranks 166th out of 220 countries with data for 2024.
- Is oil consumption rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 65.4%. 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); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026); Etemad & Luciani (1991) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Oil 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. Includes refined petroleum products and other liquid fuels.