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News release

Support for democracy is waning in Malawi, Afrobarometer survey shows

12 Jun 2025 Malawi
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News release
Key findings
  • A slim majority (53%) of Malawians say democracy is preferable to any other form of government (Figure 1). o Support for democracy has declined by 23 percentage points since 2012 (76%) (Figure 2).
  • More than half (53%) of Malawians say their country is “a democracy with major problems” or “not a democracy” (Figure 3).
  • Only four out of 10 citizens (39%) are “fairly satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the way democracy works in Malawi, a 10-percentage-point drop over the past decade (Figure 4).
  • Only 56% of Malawians say they feel “somewhat free” or “completely free” to say what they think (Figure 5). Larger majorities say they are free to join any political organization of their choice (71%) and to vote for the candidate of their choice without feeling pressured (88%).

Support for democracy is on the decline in Malawi, and so is satisfaction with the way it is  working, according to the latest Afrobarometer survey.  

Only slightly more than half of citizens say democracy is preferable to any other form of  government. Fewer than half say they are satisfied with the way democracy is functioning in  their country. 

Indeed, a majority of survey respondents say Malawi is “a democracy with major problems”  or “not a democracy,” even though most also say they feel free to join any political  organisation and vote for candidates of their choice.