Ores and metals imports (% of merchandise imports) in Malawi
Malawi: Ores and metals imports (% of merchandise imports) was 1.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Ores and metals imports in Malawi, 1966–2025
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 1.0% for ores and metals imports in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.9% on the previous year and up 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ores and metals imports in Malawi peaked at 2.8% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2001.
Malawi ranks 128th of 196 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Ores and metals imports (% of merchandise imports) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 1.4% | — |
| 1967 | 1.3% | -8.4% |
| 1968 | 1.1% | -13.7% |
| 1969 | 1.3% | +15.1% |
| 1970 | 1.1% | -17.8% |
| 1971 | 1.3% | +18.4% |
| 1972 | 1.4% | +6.4% |
| 1973 | 1.8% | +28.5% |
| 1974 | 1.9% | +5.8% |
| 1975 | 1.3% | -29.0% |
| 1976 | 1.5% | +12.9% |
| 1977 | 1.7% | +17.3% |
| 1978 | 1.3% | -27.8% |
| 1979 | 1.4% | +9.9% |
| 1980 | 1.4% | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 1.4% | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 1.4% | +4.5% |
| 1983 | 1.2% | -19.1% |
| 1984 | 1.6% | +39.0% |
| 1985 | 1.6% | -2.1% |
| 1986 | 1.3% | -18.2% |
| 1987 | 1.6% | +20.4% |
| 1990 | 1.5% | -6.7% |
| 1991 | 1.5% | +4.7% |
| 1994 | 1.0% | -32.6% |
| 1995 | 0.9% | -16.0% |
| 1999 | 0.9% | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 0.7% | -18.0% |
| 2001 | 0.5% | -27.0% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | +66.4% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 1.1% | +17.7% |
| 2005 | 0.8% | -19.3% |
| 2006 | 0.7% | -12.5% |
| 2007 | 0.8% | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | -19.0% |
| 2009 | 0.9% | +51.1% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 2.8% | +189.3% |
| 2012 | 1.0% | -64.7% |
| 2013 | 1.1% | +8.1% |
| 2014 | 1.0% | -4.7% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | -4.7% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | -8.5% |
| 2018 | 0.9% | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | -5.1% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | +18.5% |
| 2021 | 0.9% | -4.8% |
| 2022 | 0.6% | -35.2% |
| 2023 | 1.0% | +61.3% |
| 2024 | 1.0% | -3.9% |
| 2025 | 1.0% | +9.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 1.0% is above the median for low income countries, which is 1.0%, 1.0× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 1.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.0%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Ores and metals imports (% of merchandise imports) in Malawi changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +189.3% | 1.0% | 2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 4 |
| 1970s | 1.5% | 1.1% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 8 |
| 1990s | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.5% | 5 |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.5% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 0.8% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More energy & mining data for Malawi
- Primary energy from fossil nuclear renewables, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fuel imports 19.8% (2025)
- Fuel exports 0.0% (2025)
- Ores and metals exports 0.6% (2025)
- Gas production 0 terawatt-hours (2024)
- Fossil fuel production per person, by fuel 0 kilowatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel 0 terawatt-hours (2024)
- Gas production per person 0 kilowatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is ores and metals imports in Malawi?
- Ores and metals imports in Malawi was 1.0% in 2025, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest ores and metals imports recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 2.8% in 2011.
- What is the lowest ores and metals imports recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2001.
- How does Malawi rank for ores and metals imports?
- Malawi ranks 128th out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ores and metals imports rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Ores and metals imports (% of merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Ores and metals comprise the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 27 (crude fertilizer, minerals nes); 28 (metalliferous ores, scrap); and 68 (non-ferrous metals). Imports of services are services provided by non-residents to residents. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.