The Government has launched the Sixth Integrated Household Survey (IHS6), revealing a decline in Malawi’s national poverty rate while underlining persistent challenges related to food insecurity, unemployment and climate shocks.
The survey, conducted between July 2024 and July 2025 by the National Statistical Office (NSO) and launched in Lilongwe on Friday, shows that the national poverty rate has fallen from 50.7 percent to 47.3 percent. The literacy rate has also increased to 71.6 percent, although disparities remain between urban and rural areas and between men and women.
In his address during the launch, Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Decentralisation Joseph Mwanamvekha said the findings would guide policy interventions aimed at accelerating economic growth and improving livelihoods.
“We need to ensure that more young people have access to employment opportunities and that Malawi establishes structured markets for its commodities to stimulate wealth creation,” Mwanamvekha said.
The report, however, indicates that food insecurity remains a concern, particularly in parts of the Southern Region affected by recurring climate-related disasters. It also shows growing reliance on informal lending groups, while only 18.8 percent of adults have bank accounts.
Commissioner of Statistics Shelton Kanyanda said the survey had exposed significant inequalities in access to education and financial services.
“We still find that very few people are banking using banks. It is just about 18.8 per cent of the adult population aged 18 years and above who have bank accounts, so we still find that this is quite low,” said Kanyanda.
He added that districts repeatedly affected by cyclones and other shocks continue to record some of the highest poverty levels in the country, underscoring the need for stronger resilience measures.
World Bank Task Team Leader for the Statistics Capacity Project, Lina Cardona, described the findings as a mixture of progress and continuing challenges.
“We see some improvements in sanitation, water, electricity and literacy, especially among women, but there is still work to do around food insecurity and poverty, particularly in the southern region,” said Cardona.
Cardona also commended the National Statistical Office for strengthening its capacity to collect and analyse data, describing it as one of the strongest institutions in the region producing household survey data.
The World Bank has supported Malawi’s household survey programme for nearly two decades through funding and technical assistance.
The next Integrated Household Survey is expected to be conducted between 2028 and 2029, with policymakers expected to use the latest findings to shape development strategies and monitor progress towards the goals of Malawi 2063.
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