LS · AfricaMW · Africa
Lesotho vs Malawi: tax rates compared
Between the two, Malawi's income tax rate (40%) tops Lesotho's (30%) by 10pp. The 200-country average is 28%: both sit above it. Lesotho's figure is dated 2026-07-20 and Malawi's 2025-12-30, so the two rates come from different data vintages.
Verified data covers four of the six tracked tax types for both countries; every rate below is cited to its source and dated.
At a glance
| Tax | LS | MW | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income Tax | 30% | 40% | MW +10 pplargest gap |
| Corporate Tax | 25% | 30% | MW +5 pp |
| VAT | 15% | 17.5% | MW +2.5 pp |
| Wealth Tax | 0% | 0% | match |
Income Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Lesotho | 30% | Source: Revenue Services Lesotho — Employees' Tax (Pay As You Earn) · as of 2026-07-20 |
| Malawi | 40% | Source: Taxation (Amendment) (No. 2) Act, 2025 (Malawi Revenue Authority) · as of 2025-12-30 |
| Difference | −10 pp | Malawi higher |
Corporate Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Lesotho | 25% | 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 | −5 pp | Malawi higher |
Between the two, Malawi's corporate tax rate (30%) tops Lesotho's (25%) by 5pp. The 201-country average is 22.6%: both sit above it.
VAT
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Lesotho | 15% | Source: PwC — VAT and Indirect Taxes in Africa 2023, Lesotho · as of 2023-01-26 |
| Malawi | 17.5% | Source: EY Worldwide VAT, GST and Sales Tax Guide 2026 — Malawi · as of 2026-01-01 |
| Difference | −2.5 pp | Malawi higher |
Between the two, Malawi's VAT rate (17.5%) tops Lesotho's (15%) by 2.5pp. The 181-country average is 15%: Lesotho matches the world average, Malawi sits above it. Lesotho's figure is dated 2023-01-26 and Malawi's 2026-01-01, so the two rates come from different data vintages.
Wealth Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Lesotho | 0% | Source: Revenue Services Lesotho — official site (tax categories) · as of 2026-07-18 |
| Malawi | 0% | Source: Malawi Legal Information Institute — Taxation Act (Chapter 41:01) · as of 2026-07-18 |
| Difference | 0 pp | displayed rates match |
There's no gap here — Lesotho and Malawi both post a wealth tax rate of 0%. The 193-country average is 0.1%: both sit below it.
Not covered for both countries yet: Capital Gains Tax, Crypto Tax.