Structural transformation employment, production and society (STEPS): Malawi 2018

Abstract

Malawi is one of the least developed countries in the world, with an economy highly vulnerable to external factors such as terms of trade shocks, adverse weather conditions and sudden sharp declines of capital inflows, including external aid. Despite being largely peaceful, Malawi ranks 171 of 189 countries, with a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.477, placing it below the average of 0.504 for countries in the low human development group and below the sub-Saharan Africa average of 0.537.1 Women in Malawi fare worse than men on most social and economic indicators, including wage equality, decent employment opportunities, political participation (16.7 per cent of parliamentary seats are held by women), exposure to violence, secondary and tertiary education enrolment, literacy and ownership of land and assets. The main objective of the structural transformation, employment, production and society (STEPS) profiles is to produce country-specific data analysis and policy recommendations for structural transformation that will promote sustainable development.