Malawians are being crushed under an unprecedented cost-of-living surge, with the average monthly expenses for a family of six in towns and trading centres hitting K910 131 in August 2025—up from K519 763 a year earlier.
The K400 000 jump, representing a 75 percent rise in just 12 months, paints a grim picture of inflation spiralling out of control and wages standing still.
The Centre for Social Concern (CfSC), which compiled the figures, has warned that survival itself is becoming a privilege.
“The cost-of-living crisis is not just a household issue but a national development emergency,” said CfSC economic governance officer Agnes Nyirongo on Wednesday. “When families are preoccupied with survival, they cannot invest in education, skills, or productive activities. This crisis is eroding dignity, fuelling frustration, and threatening national stability.”
CfSC says millions of Malawians, most of whom rely on unstable incomes in the informal sector, are already cutting back on food, skipping medical care, and pulling children out of school.
Nyirongo cautioned that unless government acts decisively, the crisis will entrench intergenerational poverty and could spark social unrest.
Meanwhile, President Lazarus Chakwera—whose first five years in office have been marked by repeated price shocks—acknowledged the hardship but insists his administration has a plan to turn things around.
Chakwera cited efforts to boost food production, cut transport costs and revive local manufacturing as part of what he called “the foundation for recovery.” He also argued that global price hikes have left no country untouched.
But many Malawians feel those promises are distant against the daily reality of skyrocketing market prices, stagnant wages, and shrinking hope.
