Kenya vs Malawi
Kenya vs Malawi: GDP growth
GDP growth: 4.6% a year in Kenya in 2025 and 1.7% a year in Malawi in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Kenya, by 3 percentage points, or 2.79 times that in Malawi.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Kenya has been higher since 2021, when it overtook Malawi.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Kenya at 5% a year and Malawi at 3% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | Kenya | Malawi |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.6 | 2.5 |
| 2024 | 4.7 | 1.7 |
| 2023 | 5.7 | 1.9 |
| 2022 | 4.9 | 0.9 |
| 2021 | 7.6 | 4.6 |
| 2020 | -0.3 | 1 |
| 2019 | 5.1 | 5.4 |
| 2018 | 5.7 | 4.4 |
| 2017 | 3.8 | 4 |
| 2016 | 4.2 | 2.3 |
| 2015 | 5 | 3 |
| 2014 | 5 | 5.7 |
| 2013 | 3.8 | 5.2 |
| 2012 | 4.6 | 1.9 |
| 2011 | 5.1 | 4.9 |
| 2010 | 8.1 | 6.9 |
| 2009 | 3.3 | 8.3 |
| 2008 | 0.2 | 7.6 |
| 2007 | 6.9 | 9.6 |
| 2006 | 5.9 | 4.7 |
| 2005 | 5.7 | 3.3 |
| 2004 | 4.6 | 5.4 |
| 2003 | 2.9 | 5.7 |
| 2002 | 0.5 | 1.8 |
| 2001 | 4 | -4.1 |
| 2000 | 0.3 | 0.8 |
| 1999 | 2.2 | 3.5 |
| 1998 | 3 | 1.1 |
| 1997 | 0.4 | 6.6 |
| 1996 | 4.5 | 10 |
| 1995 | 4.3 | 13.8 |
| 1994 | 2.5 | -10.3 |
| 1993 | -0.1 | 9.7 |
| 1992 | -1.1 | -7.3 |
| 1991 | 1.3 | 8.7 |
| 1990 | 4.1 | 5.7 |
| 1989 | 4.6 | 1.3 |
| 1988 | 6.1 | 3.2 |
| 1987 | 5.8 | 1.6 |
| 1986 | 7 | -0.2 |
| 1985 | 4.1 | 4.6 |
| 1984 | 1.6 | 5.4 |
| 1983 | 1.6 | 3.7 |
| 1982 | 5.1 | 2.5 |
| 1981 | 4.1 | -5.2 |
| 1980 | 5.6 | 0.4 |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Kenya | Malawi |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4.5 | 2.6 |
| 2027 | 4.7 | 2.3 |
| 2028 | 4.9 | 2.5 |
| 2029 | 5 | 2.7 |
| 2030 | 5 | 3 |
| 2031 | 5 | 3 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 143 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Kenya vs Malawi
Health
- Life expectancyKenya: 63.7 years in 2023Malawi: 67.4 years in 2023
- Child mortalityKenya: 3.9 per 100 live births in 2024Malawi: 4.9 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityKenya: 29.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023Malawi: 29.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionKenya: 3.51% in 2017Malawi: 3.45% in 2017
- Suicide rateKenya: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Malawi: 12.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationKenya: 55.3 million people in 2023Malawi: 21.1 million people in 2023
- Population growthKenya: 1.97% a year in 2023Malawi: 2.57% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateKenya: 3.21 births per woman in 2023Malawi: 3.65 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationKenya: 32.2% in 2025Malawi: 17.6% in 2025
- Median ageKenya: 19.5 years in 2023Malawi: 17.6 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overKenya: 2.9% in 2023Malawi: 2.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateKenya: -0.2 per 1,000 people in 2023Malawi: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingKenya: 1.07% of GDP in 2025Malawi: 1.15% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsKenya: $1.36B in 2025Malawi: $128M in 2025
- Military spending per personKenya: $26 in 2025Malawi: $7 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingKenya: 4.6% of government spending in 2025Malawi: 3.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelKenya: 24,000 people in 2020Malawi: 15,000 people in 2020
- National powerKenya: 0.23% of world capability in 2022Malawi: 0.07% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersKenya: 0.11% of the labour force in 2020Malawi: 0.2% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsKenya: 117 million TIV in 2025Malawi: 2 million TIV in 2024
- Arms exportsKenya: 2 million TIV in 1993Malawi: 1 million TIV in 2000