Health financing progress matrix assessment, Malawi 2025: summary of findings and recommendations

Overview

This report presents the findings of Malawi’s 2025 Health Financing Progress Matrix (HFPM) assessment, WHO’s standardized qualitative analysis of a country’s health financing system. Malawi has made steady progress towards universal health coverage (UHC) and continues to perform above the average for low-income countries. However, the assessment finds that these gains mask persistent inequities in access to essential services, with gaps between poorer and wealthier populations widening in some areas. At the same time, heavy dependence on external financing, fragmentation of funding arrangements, and limited strategic purchasing continue to constrain system performance.

The HFPM highlights the need for stronger pooling and coordination of health financing resources, improved domestic resource mobilization, operationalization of the health benefits package, and reforms to public financial management and purchasing arrangements. Overall, the report concludes that Malawi has established important foundations for advancing UHC but requires sustained investment and health financing reforms to improve equity, efficiency and financial protection for the entire population.