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Science in Malawi

Malawi ranks #111 of 192 countries on research quality in 2022–2025 (#110 all time), with 3k research works and 18.7% of them in the world's top 10%.

World rank, 2022–2025
#111
of 192 · #110 all time
Works, 2022–2025
3k
▲ 52% vs 2013–17
Top-10% rate
18.7%
record average 16.5%
In the world top 100
0
0 in the top 1,000
Open access
63%
world 63%

What is Malawi strongest at in science?

On research quality in 2022–2025, Malawi ranks highest in Agricultural and Biological Sciences (#80 of 126), Social Sciences (#112 of 151) and Medicine (#118 of 155). Relative to its size it is most specialised in Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, Forestry and Parasitology.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorks
Agricultural and Biological SciencesField #80 of 126 22.9%336 Institutions
Social SciencesField #112 of 151 18.9%534 Institutions
MedicineField #118 of 155 20.6%641 Institutions
Environmental ScienceField #108 of 125 14.8%275 Institutions

Where its research is concentrated

Location quotient: how much more — or less — of each node it does than its size predicts. Drawn around 1×, where “twice the world share” and “half of it” are the same distance apart in opposite directions. A volume reading, which on a country axis is largely population and industrial structure.

  1. Applied Microbiology and BiotechnologySubfield · 10.1 works6.7×
  2. ForestrySubfield · 20.5 works6.5×
  3. ParasitologySubfield · 19.0 works5.9×
  4. Research and TheorySubfield · 4.5 works5.8×
  5. VirologySubfield · 9.0 works5.1×
  6. Infectious DiseasesSubfield · 99.4 works4.8×
  7. Nutrition and DieteticsSubfield · 59.1 works4.6×
  8. NursingField · 64.3 works4.3×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

The whole field profile

All 26 fields at once. A specialist and a generalist produce the same ranked list and a completely different shape.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 2.34× its world share, 336 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.45× its world share, 73 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 1.89× its world share, 58 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.24× its world share, 12 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.71× its world share, 8 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 0.22× its world share, 2 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.23× its world share, 11 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.56× its world share, 132 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 0.61× its world share, 29 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.83× its world share, 23 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.41× its world share, 187 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 1.83× its world share, 275 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.20× its world share, 21 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 1.01× its world share, 36 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 0.10× its world share, 7 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.26× its world share, 4 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 1.94× its world share, 155 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 1.10× its world share, 641 worksMedicineNursing: 4.34× its world share, 64 worksNursingVeterinary: 0.82× its world share, 3 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 0.89× its world share, 78 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 1.05× its world share, 102 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 1.22× its world share, 36 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 1.63× its world share, 105 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 1.04× its world share, 96 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 1.39× its world share, 534 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Nursing, 4.3×. Every wedge is a field page.

Which keywords describe research in Malawi?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Epidemiology, Climate Change, Maternal Mortality, Community Health Workers, Antiretroviral Therapy, Health Inequalities, Socio-economic Factors and Child Mortality.

▲ more of its work than of the world’s◆ about the world’s share▼ less than the world’s

Size is fractional works in 2022–2025 in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this country's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Epidemiology210▲ 1.75×117 topics
  2. Climate Change164▲ 2.0×97 topics
  3. Sustainability110▲ 1.49×70 topics
  4. Maternal Mortality82▲ 12×5 topics
  5. Community Health Workers78▲ 30×2 topics
  6. Environmental Impact77▲ 1.49×47 topics
  7. Antiretroviral Therapy70▲ 14×6 topics
  8. Health Inequalities68▲ 19×4 topics
  9. Socio-economic Factors67▲ 20×2 topics
  10. Sustainable Agriculture67▲ 6.9×13 topics
  11. Child Mortality67▲ 31×1 topic
  12. Health Systems67▲ 31×1 topic
  13. Child Development62▲ 4.9×8 topics
  14. Smallholder Farmers59▲ 8.8×6 topics
  15. Biodiversity59▲ 2.6×30 topics
  16. Social Networks56▲ 6.9×9 topics
  17. Poverty Reduction56▲ 14×5 topics
  18. Global Burden55▲ 3.4×12 topics
  19. Vaccine53▲ 4.3×11 topics
  20. Rural Development52▲ 4.9×14 topics
  21. Biodiversity Conservation52▲ 4.6×15 topics
  22. Colonialism51▲ 3.5×15 topics
  23. Social Capital50▲ 3.1×19 topics
  24. Global Burden of Disease49▲ 6.5×4 topics
  25. Mortality Rates47▲ 16×2 topics
  26. Genetic Diversity46▲ 3.5×20 topics
  27. Maternal and Child Undernutrition44▲ 18×1 topic
  28. Water Sanitation Hygiene44▲ 18×1 topic
  29. HIV Transmission44▲ 20×2 topics
  30. Gender Inequality43▲ 10×6 topics
  31. Viral Load41▲ 17×2 topics
  32. Technology Adoption41▲ 7.8×6 topics
  33. Preexposure Prophylaxis38▲ 26×1 topic
  34. Stigma and Discrimination38▲ 26×1 topic
  35. Vulnerability38▲ 5.5×7 topics
  36. Global Health36▲ 8.0×6 topics
  37. Agricultural Innovation34▲ 26×2 topics
  38. Livelihood Diversification34▲ 37×1 topic
  39. Market Participation34▲ 37×1 topic
  40. Poverty34▲ 12×5 topics

Which universities in Malawi lead research?

University of Malawi, Department of Forestry and Kamuzu Central Hospital rank highest in Malawi on research quality in 2022–2025.

0%20%40%mean 18.4273%fractional works (log) →share in the world top 10% →University of Malawi: 650, 20.9%Department of Forestry: 261, 11.6%Kamuzu Central Hospital: 279, 23.8%Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme: 98, 29.6%Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources: 243, 23.7%Mzuzu University: 241, 18.8%Malawi University of Science and Technology: 172, 17.8%Ministry of Health: 102, 27.1%Ministry of Education Science and Technology: 312, 8.2%Blantyre Institute for Community Ophthalmology: 80, 18.7%DMI-St. John the Baptist University: 147, 2.5%Malawi-Liverpool-Wel…Kamuzu Central Hospi…University of MalawiDepartment of Forestry
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per institution in the list below. The upper left is the interesting corner.

  1. 1University of MalawiUniversity · Zomba · #7,040 worldwide20.9% top 10% · 650 works
  2. 2Department of ForestryGovernment institution · Lilongwe · #8,355 worldwide11.6% top 10% · 261 works
  3. 3Kamuzu Central HospitalHospital / health system · Lilongwe · #8,413 worldwide23.8% top 10% · 279 works
  4. 4Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research ProgrammeResearch facility · Blantyre · #9,942 worldwide29.6% top 10% · 98 works
  5. 5Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural ResourcesUniversity · Lilongwe · #11,071 worldwide23.7% top 10% · 243 works
  6. 6Mzuzu UniversityUniversity · Mzuzu · #12,618 worldwide18.8% top 10% · 241 works
  7. 7Malawi University of Science and TechnologyUniversity · Blantyre · #12,929 worldwide17.8% top 10% · 172 works
  8. 8Ministry of HealthGovernment institution · Lilongwe · #13,824 worldwide27.1% top 10% · 102 works
  9. 9Ministry of Education Science and TechnologyGovernment institution · Lilongwe · #15,739 worldwide8.2% top 10% · 312 works
  10. 10Blantyre Institute for Community OphthalmologyNonprofit · Blantyre · #16,230 worldwide18.7% top 10% · 80 works
  11. 11DMI-St. John the Baptist UniversityUniversity · Mangochi · #26,148 worldwide2.5% top 10% · 147 works

The track on each row is its top-10% rate; the tick is the world’s rate in this record, 16.5% — teal above it, red below.

All ranked institutions in Malawi

Who are the top researchers in Malawi?

Elsbeth Robson, Kenneth Maleta and Robin Broadhead rank highest among researchers based in Malawi.

  1. 1 Elsbeth Robson · #171,998 worldwide 132 citations · 30 works
  2. 2 Kenneth Maleta · #189,300 worldwide 184 citations · 50 works
  3. 3 Robin Broadhead · #275,068 worldwide 95 citations · 19 works
  4. 4 Oluyede C. Ajayi · #287,173 worldwide 190 citations · 17 works
  5. 5 Elizabeth Tilley · #317,048 worldwide 79 citations · 18 works
  6. 6 Ephraim Chirwa · #391,251 worldwide 133 citations · 44 works
  7. 7 Amelia C. Crampin · #393,656 worldwide 117 citations · 35 works
  8. 8 Alister Munthali · #398,441 worldwide 94 citations · 33 works
  9. 9 Malawi · #423,167 worldwide 25 citations · 19 works
  10. 10 William Stones · #437,015 worldwide 85 citations · 32 works
Top researchers in Malawi

How open and international is Malawi's research?

63% of its research is openly available (world: 40%), and 52% is written with international co-authors (world: 18%).

openly available63.4%not open36.6%

World: 63% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors51.6%domestic only48.4%

World: 22% is written across borders.

How has Malawi's research grown?

Output in 2018–2022 was 52% higher than in 2013–2017.

1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Research fields in Malawi