Malawi Industry Employment
Employment in industry SL.IND.EMPL.ZS
Malawi's industry employment was 7.34% in 2025, ranked 7th globally. This represents a 0.2% increase from 2024. Data from World Bank, covering 1991–2025.
Overview
Malawi's industry employment stood at 7.34% in 2025, a rise of +0.02% from 2024. Based on recent trends, this figure is projected to reach 7.33% by 2026. Malawi ranked 7th globally.
Malawi’s share of its labour force employed in industry stood at 7.34 percent in 2025, ranking it seventh worldwide among countries tracked by the World Bank. The indicator has shown modest volatility over the 35‑year series, beginning at an all‑time high of 7.88 percent in 1991 and falling to a trough of 7.29 percent in 2006 before stabilising around the current level. Compared with regional peers, Uganda recorded a slightly lower industrial employment share of 7.30 percent, while Lao PDR posted 7.41 percent, underscoring Malawi’s position near the middle of the distribution for low‑income economies. The gradual decline from the early 1990s reflects limited industrial diversification and persistent reliance on agriculture, yet the post‑trough plateau suggests incremental gains from modest manufacturing and processing initiatives. Continued investment in value‑added processing and infrastructure could reverse the slow downward drift and lift the industrial employment share in the coming decade.
Data & projection
| Year | Industry Employment | YoY change | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2028* trend | 7.33% | - | - |
| 2027* trend | 7.33% | - | - |
| 2026* trend | 7.33% | - | - |
| 2025 | 7.34% | +0.02% | #7 |
| 2024 | 7.33% | −0.00% | #7 |
| 2023 | 7.33% | +0.01% | #9 |
| 2022 | 7.32% | −0.04% | #9 |
| 2021 | 7.35% | −0.06% | #8 |
| 2020 | 7.41% | −0.11% | #8 |
| 2019 | 7.52% | +0.02% | #7 |
| 2018 | 7.50% | +0.03% | #9 |
| 2017 | 7.48% | +0.01% | #9 |
| 2016 | 7.46% | +0.00% | #10 |
| 2015 | 7.46% | +0.00% | #9 |
| 2014 | 7.46% | +0.02% | #11 |
| 2013 | 7.43% | +0.02% | #12 |
| 2012 | 7.41% | −0.02% | #12 |
| 2011 | 7.43% | +0.02% | #13 |
Detected Pattern
Analysis
Malawi matched the Currency Crisis Pattern pattern in 2016. Historically, 27% of countries showing this pattern (35 out of 128) saw industry employment improve within 24 months. View full analysis →
Frequently Asked Questions
Malawi's industry employment was 7.34% in 2025. Ranked 7th globally. This represents a 0.2% increase from the previous year.
Malawi's industry employment peaked at 7.88% in 1991.
The lowest industry employment in Malawi was 7.29% in 2006.
Malawi ranks 7th globally in industry employment as of 2025.
The World Bank indicator code is SL.IND.EMPL.ZS. Data sourced from World Bank.
Malawi's industry employment is projected to reach 7.33% by 2026 based on trend extrapolation.
The industry employment of Malawi in 2025 was 7.34%. This ranks 7th in the world.
Cite this page
@misc{historysaid_malawi_industry-employment,
title = {Malawi Industry Employment},
url = {https://historysaid.com/malawi/industry-employment/},
publisher = {HistorySaid},
year = {2026}
}