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The twenty imports Malawi is best placed to replace.

Malawi imported USD 2.5bn of manufactured goods in 2024 and exported USD 662m. These are the twenty that sit closest to what it already makes well and where one country supplies most of them.

USD 453mthe twenty, imported in 2024
19products imported at scale, not yet exported well, and close to existing strengths
182products Malawi already exports well
48product lines imported at USD 10m or more
The twenty

Demand, capability, exposure. Nothing else is claimed.

Each line shows the import bill, where it comes from, the nearest thing Malawi already exports well, and how many countries make it. It does not say whether a plant in Malawi would pay. That reason is not in any trade record, and it is the maker's question.

This edition is trade and capability only, scored out of 8. The UK edition adds which public bodies buy each product and which region holds the capability; those layers are built only where a country publishes contract awards and regional trade, and Malawi does not publish them in a form this record can read yet.

  1. 1

    Fertilizers, mineral or chemical: nitrogenous, urea, whether or not in aqueous solutionHS 310210

    Comes fromUnited Arab Emirates 50%, 14 source countries
    Nearest export strengthFertilizers, mineral or chemical: containing the three fertilizing... (exports USD 2m)
    Exports of this lineUSD 254k; 1 more line in the heading, USD 12m
    Countries that export it well27

    Score 6 of 8: import bill USD 104m, top 2 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Malawi's export strengths in the top 23 per cent (2); United Arab Emirates supplies 50 per cent (1).

    USD 104mfrom USD 254k in 2022
  2. 2

    Soap: in forms n.e.c. in item no. 3401.11HS 340120

    Comes fromIndonesia 76%, 24 source countries
    Nearest export strengthFood preparations: cereal or cereal products (excluding maize), in...
    Exports of this linenone recorded; 1 more line in the heading, USD 13m
    Countries that export it well41

    Score 6 of 8: import bill USD 40m, top 21 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Malawi's export strengths in the top 15 per cent (2); Indonesia supplies 76 per cent (2).

    USD 40mup 308% on 2022
  3. 3

    Cement: portland, other than white, whether or not artificially colouredHS 252329

    Comes fromZambia 91%, 5 source countries
    Nearest export strengthMica: crude and rifted into sheets or splittings (exports USD 259k)
    Exports of this lineUSD 2k; 1 more line in the heading, USD 15m
    Countries that export it well54

    Score 6 of 8: import bill USD 21m, top 42 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Malawi's export strengths in the top 8 per cent (3); Zambia supplies 91 per cent (2).

    USD 21mup 16% on 2022
  4. 4

    Clothing: worn, and other worn articlesHS 630900

    Comes fromChina 59%, 60 source countries
    Nearest export strengthSacks and bags: of a kind used for the packing of goods, of man-made... (exports USD 4m)
    Exports of this lineUSD 122k
    Countries that export it well29

    Score 5 of 8: import bill USD 76m, top 8 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Malawi's export strengths in the top 48 per cent (1); China supplies 59 per cent (1).

    USD 76mup 332% on 2022
  5. 5

    Furnishing articles: excluding those of heading no. 9404, bed nets, specified in Subheading Note 1 to this ChapterHS 630420

    Comes fromNetherlands 84%, 5 source countries
    Nearest export strengthSacks and bags: of a kind used for the packing of goods, of man-made... (exports USD 4m)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well12

    Score 5 of 8: import bill USD 47m, top 10 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Malawi's export strengths in the top 42 per cent (1); Netherlands supplies 84 per cent (2).

    USD 47ma year
  6. 6

    Washing and cleaning preparations: powders, flakes and granules, surface-active, whether or not containing soap...HS 340250

    Comes fromTanzania 60%, 24 source countries
    Nearest export strengthSlaked lime: excluding calcium oxide and hydroxide of heading no. 2825
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well39

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 27m, top 27 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Malawi's export strengths in the top 31 per cent (1); Tanzania supplies 60 per cent (2).

    USD 27mup 15% on 2022
  7. 7

    Propylene, other olefin polymers: polypropylene in primary formsHS 390210

    Comes fromSouth Africa 67%, 15 source countries
    Nearest export strengthPlastics: plates, sheets, film, foil and strip (not self-adhesive)... (exports USD 3m)
    Exports of this lineUSD 58k
    Countries that export it well26

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 22m, top 38 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Malawi's export strengths in the top 48 per cent (1); South Africa supplies 67 per cent (2).

    USD 22mup 30% on 2022
  8. 8

    Paper and paperboard: cartons, boxes and cases, of corrugated paper or paperboardHS 481910

    Comes fromItaly 41%, 19 source countries
    Nearest export strengthCoffee: husks and skins, coffee substitutes containing coffee in any...
    Exports of this lineUSD 3k
    Countries that export it well46

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 21m, top 40 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Malawi's export strengths in the top 25 per cent (2); Italy supplies 41 per cent (1).

    USD 21mup 100% on 2022
  9. 9

    Finishing ceramicsHS 690740

    Comes fromZambia 61%, 16 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone in the same chapter
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well24

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 12m, top 75 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Malawi's export strengths in the top 27 per cent (1); Zambia supplies 61 per cent (2).

    USD 12mup 60% on 2022
  10. 10

    Iron or non-alloy steel: bars and rods, hot-rolled, hot-drawn or hot-extruded, containing indentations, ribs, grooves...HS 721420

    Comes fromSouth Africa 50%, 6 source countries
    Nearest export strengthFerrous waste and scrap: of tinned iron or steel (exports USD 4m)
    Exports of this lineUSD 1k
    Countries that export it well45

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 12m, top 81 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Malawi's export strengths in the top 10 per cent (2); South Africa supplies 50 per cent (1).

    USD 12mup 34% on 2022
  11. 11

    Fertilizers, mineral or chemical: containing the two fertilizing elements phosphorus and potassiumHS 310560

    Comes fromOman 89%, 6 source countries
    Nearest export strengthFertilizers, mineral or chemical: containing the three fertilizing... (exports USD 2m)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well24

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 11m, top 94 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Malawi's export strengths in the top 40 per cent (1); Oman supplies 89 per cent (2).

    USD 11mfrom USD 122k in 2022
  12. 12

    Sanitary towels (pads) and tampons, napkins (diapers), napkin liners and similar articles, of any materialHS 961900

    Comes fromKenya 59%, 35 source countries
    Nearest export strengthIvory and articles thereof: worked (exports USD 22k)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well34

    Score 2 of 8: import bill USD 17m, top 52 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Malawi's export strengths in the top 33 per cent (1); Kenya supplies 59 per cent (1).

    USD 17mup 170% on 2022
  13. 13

    Food preparations: n.e.c. in item no. 2106.10HS 210690

    Comes fromSouth Africa 50%, 39 source countries
    Nearest export strengthProtein: concentrates and textured protein substances (exports USD 335k)
    Exports of this lineUSD 567k
    Countries that export it well51

    Score 2 of 8: import bill USD 17m, top 54 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Malawi's export strengths in the top 38 per cent (1); South Africa supplies 50 per cent (1).

    USD 17mup 109% on 2022
  14. 14

    Herbicides, anti-sprouting products and plant-growth regulators: other than containing goods of Subheading Note 1 to...HS 380893

    Comes fromSouth Africa 53%, 10 source countries
    Nearest export strengthHand sieves and hand riddles
    Exports of this lineUSD 70k; 1 more line in the heading, USD 14m
    Countries that export it well22

    Score 2 of 8: import bill USD 13m, top 69 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Malawi's export strengths in the top 50 per cent (1); South Africa supplies 53 per cent (1).

    USD 13mup 46% on 2022
  15. 15

    Salt (including table salt and denatured salt): pure sodium chloride whether or not in aqueous solution: sea waterHS 250100

    Comes fromBotswana 26%, 19 source countries
    Nearest export strengthMica: crude and rifted into sheets or splittings (exports USD 259k)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well41

    Score 1 of 8: import bill USD 13m, top 71 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Malawi's export strengths in the top 29 per cent (1).

    USD 13mup 423% on 2022

One line per customs heading. Products Malawi already exports well and still imports are below, because they are a different conversation. No employment figures appear on this page, by decision.

Made here already, still imported

Scale conversations, not capability ones.

  • Fertilizers, mineral or chemical: containing the three fertilizing elements... imports USD 77m, exports USD 2m, top source United Arab Emirates 45%
  • Unused postage, revenue or similar stamps of current or new issue in the... imports USD 41m, exports USD 1m, top source Malta 23%
  • Fertilizers, mineral or chemical: nitrogenous, double salts and mixtures of... imports USD 19m, exports USD 82k, top source United Arab Emirates 52%
  • Tobacco, (not stemmed or stripped) imports USD 41m, exports USD 31m, top source Zambia 73%
How the twenty were chosen

Three scores, each from a field the record carries.

Import bill, 0 to 3, by percentile among the 48 lines imported at USD 10m or more: above the median one point, top quarter two, top tenth three.

Proximity to export strengths, 0 to 3, on the same percentiles: the product-space method (Hidalgo, Klinger, Barabasi and Hausmann, Science 2007) on CEPII's BACI file of every bilateral trade flow for 2024, 157 countries and 5,388 products. Two products are close when the countries that export one well tend to export the other well. Only products in the upper half for proximity can enter the list at all: best placed is a proximity claim.

Supply concentration, 0 to 2: one point when a single country supplies 40 per cent or more, two at 60 per cent.

Scope. Manufactured goods, customs chapters 16 to 96, excluding ores, fuels and precious metals. Primary agriculture is out of scope for a page about manufacture.

What it cannot tell you

A map of where to look.

Trade data says what crossed the border, not why. Cost, scale, patents, tariffs and the plain fact that a supplier is good at it are all invisible here. The world file reconciles what each pair of countries reports, so a national customs file would differ in detail. Nothing on this page is a forecast or a promise.

Source: CEPII BACI, HS22, version 202601, years 2022 to 2024. Edition of 2026-11-02. The UK edition with its procurement and regional layers is at /made-here/.

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