Malawi Country Handbook

Malawi is listed among the five Least developed countries (LDCs) in the sub-region and is one of the focus countries for the SRO-SA. The country is agro-based, with more than 80 per cent of households depending on the agriculture sector for some of their income. Other economic sectors, including manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade are highly dependent on the agriculture sector, pointing to the critical importance of agriculture, not only for subsistence, but as the major export earner, contributing over 30% of the country’s Gross domestic product (GDP). The high intensity of the country’s export profile, coupled with its landlocked position, makes the country highly vulnerable to climate change and other external shocks. Malawi’s real GDP per capita grew at an average of 1.5 per cent between 1995 and 2015, well below its peers, at a time when the average for non-resource-rich Sub-Saharan Africa economies was 2.7 per cent (World Bank, 2018b).