Findings of an Afrobarometer survey have revealed that most youth see their personal living conditions as bad with 53 percent saying they are not employed and 51 percent stating they have considered leaving the country.
The survey, conducted in August 2024 with a sample size of 1 200 respondents, show that 64 percent of respondents aged between 18 and 35 said their living conditions are “bad” while 74 percent described the country’s economic condition as “fairly bad” or “very bad”.
The study further found that while Malawian youth are more educated than their elders, 53 percent of them said they are not employed and are looking for jobs.
Reads the findings in part: “Youth most commonly report a lack of adequate training or preparation [33 percent] as the top barrier to employment. This concern is shared across all age groups, highlighting a widespread perception that young people are not sufficiently equipped for the job market.”
The study further shows that 51 percent of young people said they have considered emigrating to pursue employment and other opportunities.
“Serious interest in emigration is more common in the Southern Region [37 percent] compared to the Northern (13 percent) and Central [23 percent] regions,” reads the survey.
However, the youth ranked food shortages and the increasing cost of living as the top two problems the government must address.
Among youth-oriented programmes, the young citizens said they would prefer that the government prioritise spending on job creation, education and improved access to business loans.
The findings come as the country approaches the midpoint of its first 10-year implementation plan for the Malawi 2063 vision which aims to raise the country`s income status to lower-middle level by 2030 and to an industrialised upper middle-income country by 2063.
The Malawi 2063 document states that economic transformation will not be a success unless it is owned by the youth and based on the ideals of youth inclusiveness and shared prosperity.
According to the 2018 census, Malawi has a largely youthful population, with over 80 percent aged below 35 years.
Commenting on the survey findings, youth and governance advocate Chimwemwe Kaonga said young people are frustrated and need to be empowered for improved employability in decent work and sustainable entrepreneurship.
He said: “Stakeholders must enhance youth involvement in the creation of businesses through entrepreneurship training, provision of startup resources and promotion of linkages to markets.”
On his part, Youth and Society executive director Charles Kajoloweka echoed Kaonga’s sentiments but said the focus should also be on the pace of youth economic empowerment initiatives.
Ahead of the September 16 2025 General Election, the Youth Decide Campaign has developed the Youth Manifesto which states that the next government should improve education standards, create jobs and business opportunities for youth and fight corruption.
On economic empowerment, the youth want at least 500 000 jobs by 2030 and a youth-targeted loan facility of at least K25 billion annually.
