5th and 7th President of Malawi · In office now
Peter Mutharika
Peter Mutharika, President of Malawi from 2014 to 2020 and again since October 2025: life, career and the public debt during both of his presidencies.
Biography
Peter Mutharika has been President of Malawi twice: from 31 May 2014 to 28 June 2020 and from 4 October 2025 to the present, both times for the Democratic Progressive Party. The Vice Presidents have been Saulos Chilima (2014–2019, and again February–June 2020), Everton Chimulirenji (2019–2020), Jane Ansah and Enoch Chihana, Second Vice President (from October 2025).1
He was born on 18 July 1940 in Zomba. He studied at University of London, Yale Law School and Dedza Secondary School. Before the presidency he worked as a diplomat and a lawyer. He also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs (2011–2012) and Minister of Defence (2014–2020).
He won the 2014 election with 36.42% of the vote, won the 2019 election with 38.57% of the vote (a result the Constitutional Court later annulled), lost the 2020 election with 39.92% of the vote to Lazarus Chakwera's 59.34% and won the 2025 election with 56.76% of the vote.2
During these presidencies, public debt went from 35.3% of GDP (end-2013) to 46.8% (end-June 2020) and public debt has gone from 86.8% of GDP (October 2025, estimate) to 93.2% (end-December 2025).3
Public debt during the presidency
2014–2020
- Debt to GDP when taking office
- 35.3% (end-2013)
- When leaving office
- 46.8% (end-June 2020)
- Change
- +11.5 points of GDP
- In US dollars
- US$2.83 billion → US$5.51 billion
2025–present
- Debt to GDP when taking office
- 86.8% (October 2025 (estimate))
- Latest official
- 93.2% (end-December 2025)
- Change
- +6.4 points of GDP
- In US dollars
- US$13.08 billion → US$14.03 billion
Measured the same way for every president: debt as a share of GDP at the year-end nearest each handover, or the Ministry of Finance's figure for the handover itself where one exists. Compare every president · Live national debt clock
More about Peter Mutharika
Peter Mutharika is Malawi’s President. He held the office from 2014 to 2020 and returned to it on 4 October 2025, making him the only person to serve two separate presidencies.
Born in Thyolo District, the younger brother of Bingu wa Mutharika, he spent most of his career as a law scholar, teaching for many years at Washington University in St. Louis in the United States. He returned to Malawi and served in his brother’s government as Minister of Justice, of Education, and of Foreign Affairs.
He led the Democratic Progressive Party to victory in the May 2014 election. In May 2019 he was declared re-elected, but in February 2020 the Constitutional Court annulled that election because of irregularities, a ruling the Supreme Court upheld. He lost the fresh election of June 2020 to Lazarus Chakwera.
He returned as the DPP candidate in the September 2025 election, won, and was sworn in at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre on 4 October 2025, with Jane Ansah as Vice President.
References
- Office of the President and Cabinet, Malawi
- Malawi Electoral Commission: presidential election results
- Ministry of Finance, Malawi: public debt reports (with the IMF Global Debt Database for years before them)
Written by Ask Malawi from the public records cited above; no text is copied from other sites. Updated 10 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.