LA · AsiaMW · Africa
Laos vs Malawi: tax rates compared
Malawi's income tax rate is 15pp higher than Laos's (40% vs 25%). The 200-country average is 28%: Laos sits below it, Malawi sits above it. Laos's figure is dated 2026-02-06 and Malawi's 2025-12-30, so the two rates come from different data vintages.
Verified data covers five of the six tracked tax types for both countries; every rate below is cited to its source and dated.
At a glance
| Tax | LA | MW | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income Tax | 25% | 40% | MW +15 pp |
| Corporate Tax | 20% | 30% | MW +10 pp |
| VAT | 10% | 17.5% | MW +7.5 pp |
| Capital Gains Tax | 2% | 40% | MW +38 pplargest gap |
| Wealth Tax | 0% | 0% | match |
Income Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Laos | 25% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Lao PDR (Individual, Taxes on personal income) · as of 2026-02-06 |
| Malawi | 40% | Source: Taxation (Amendment) (No. 2) Act, 2025 (Malawi Revenue Authority) · as of 2025-12-30 |
| Difference | −15 pp | Malawi higher |
Corporate Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Laos | 20% | Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01 |
| Malawi | 30% | Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01 |
| Difference | −10 pp | Malawi higher |
Malawi's corporate tax rate is 10pp higher than Laos's (30% vs 20%). The 201-country average is 22.6%: Laos sits below it, Malawi sits above it.
VAT
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Laos | 10% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Lao PDR (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-02-06 |
| Malawi | 17.5% | Source: EY Worldwide VAT, GST and Sales Tax Guide 2026 — Malawi · as of 2026-01-01 |
| Difference | −7.5 pp | Malawi higher |
Malawi's VAT rate is 7.5pp higher than Laos's (17.5% vs 10%). The 181-country average is 15%: Laos sits below it, Malawi sits above it.
Capital Gains Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Laos | 2% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Lao PDR (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-02-06 |
| Malawi | 40% | Source: EY Worldwide Personal Tax and Immigration Guide 2025-26 — Malawi · as of 2025-10-01 |
| Difference | −38 pp | Malawi higher |
Malawi's capital gains tax rate is 38pp higher than Laos's (40% vs 2%). The 175-country average is 10.3%: Laos sits below it, Malawi sits above it. Laos's figure is dated 2026-02-06 and Malawi's 2025-10-01, so the two rates come from different data vintages.
Wealth Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Laos | 0% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Net wealth/worth tax rates (quick chart) · as of 2026-02-06 |
| Malawi | 0% | Source: Malawi Legal Information Institute — Taxation Act (Chapter 41:01) · as of 2026-07-18 |
| Difference | 0 pp | displayed rates match |
Laos's wealth tax rate is identical to Malawi's — both sit at 0%. The 193-country average is 0.1%: both sit below it.
Not covered for both countries yet: Crypto Tax.