Malawians poorer today than two decades ago

Poverty in Malawi is more prevalent today than it was two decades ago, according to a report commissioned by the Council for Non-Governmental Organisations (CONGOMA). News reports quoted the report as saying that most Malawian workers were earning 8 percent less than what they earned in 1982. “While on paper the money workers get today may look more, most of its value is eaten away by inflation and a high cost of living,” the report said. “Poverty in Malawi is more prevalent today than two decades ago and its income distribution is extremely inequitable,” it added. The average per capita income in Malawi is US $200, the lowest in the 14-member Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), where the average per capita income is around US $360.