electricsheepafrica/africa-malawi-real-time-prices

---
annotations_creators:
- no-annotation
language_creators:
- found
language:
- en
license: cc-by-4.0
multilinguality:
- monolingual
size_categories:
- 10K<n<100K
source_datasets:
- original
task_categories:
- tabular-regression
task_ids: []
tags:
- africa
- humanitarian
- hdx
- electric-sheep-africa
- energy
- food-security
- mwi
pretty_name: "Malawi - Real Time Prices"
dataset_info:
splits:
- name: train
num_examples: 24023
- name: test
num_examples: 6005
---

# Malawi - Real Time Prices

**Publisher:** World Bank Group · **Source:** [HDX](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/malawi-real-time-prices) · **License:** `cc-by` · **Updated:** 2026-04-01

---

## Abstract

Real Time Prices (RTP) is a live dataset compiled and updated weekly by the World Bank Development Economics Data Group (DECDG) using a combination of direct price measurement and Machine Learning estimation of missing price data. The historical and current estimates are based on price information gathered from the World Food Program (WFP), UN-Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), select National Statistical Offices, and are continually updated and revised as more price information becomes available. Real-time exchange rate data used in this process are from official and public sources.

RTP includes three sub-series, Real Time Food Prices (RTFP) includes prices on a variety of food items that primarily include country-specific staple foods, Real Time Energy Prices (RTEP) includes fuel prices, and Real Time Exchange Rates (RTFX) and includes unofficial exchange rate estimates as well as possible other unofficial deflators.

Each row in this dataset represents country-level aggregates. Temporal coverage is indicated by the `dates`, `start_dense_data` column(s). Geographic scope: **MWI**.

*Curated into ML-ready Parquet format by [Electric Sheep Africa](https://huggingface.co/electricsheepafrica).*

---

## Dataset Characteristics

| | |
|---|---|
| **Domain** | Food security and nutrition |
| **Unit of observation** | Country-level aggregates |
| **Rows (total)** | 30,029 |
| **Columns** | 52 (39 numeric, 10 categorical, 3 datetime) |
| **Train split** | 24,023 rows |
| **Test split** | 6,005 rows |
| **Geographic scope** | MWI |
| **Publisher** | World Bank Group |
| **HDX last updated** | 2026-04-01 |

---

## Variables

**Geographic** — `iso3` (MWI), `country` (Malawi), `lat` (range -17.12–-9.57), `lon` (range 32.9–35.87), `year` (range 2007.0–2026.0) and 14 others.

**Temporal** — `dates`, `month` (range 1.0–12.0).

**Demographic** — `data_coverage` (range 43.13–43.13), `data_coverage_recent` (range 55.24–55.24).

**Identifier / Metadata** — `adm1_name` (Southern Region, Central Region, Northern Region), `adm2_name` (Machinga, Nsanje, Dowa), `mkt_name` (Area 23, Nsikawanjala, Nsanje Boma), `geo_id` (gid_-140300000334900000, gid_-143900000343400000, gid_-169300000352600000), `esa_source` (HDX) and 1 others.

**Other** — `components` (beans (1 KG, Index Weight = 1), cassava_fao (1 Kg, Index Weight = 1), maize (1 KG, Index Weight = 1), rice (1 KG, Index Weight = 1)), `start_dense_data`, `maize` (range 8.4–1800.0), `o_beans` (range 60.45–9495.74), `h_beans` (range 63.59–10155.9) and 18 others.

---

## Quick Start

```python
from datasets import load_dataset

ds = load_dataset("electricsheepafrica/africa-malawi-real-time-prices")
train = ds["train"].to_pandas()
test = ds["test"].to_pandas()

print(train.shape)
train.head()
```

---

## Schema

| Column | Type | Null % | Range / Sample Values |
|---|---|---|---|
| `iso3` | object | 0.0% | MWI |
| `country` | object | 0.0% | Malawi |
| `adm1_name` | object | 0.0% | Southern Region, Central Region, Northern Region |
| `adm2_name` | object | 0.0% | Machinga, Nsanje, Dowa |
| `mkt_name` | object | 0.0% | Area 23, Nsikawanjala, Nsanje Boma |
| `lat` | float64 | 0.8% | -17.12 – -9.57 (mean -14.2179) |
| `lon` | float64 | 0.8% | 32.9 – 35.87 (mean 34.5408) |
| `geo_id` | object | 0.0% | gid_-140300000334900000, gid_-143900000343400000, gid_-169300000352600000 |
| `dates` | datetime64[ns] | 0.0% | |
| `year` | int64 | 0.0% | 2007.0 – 2026.0 (mean 2016.1301) |
| `month` | int64 | 0.0% | 1.0 – 12.0 (mean 6.4415) |
| `currency` | object | 0.0% | MWK |
| `components` | object | 0.0% | beans (1 KG, Index Weight = 1), cassava_fao (1 Kg, Index Weight = 1), maize (1 KG, Index Weight = 1), rice (1 KG, Index Weight = 1) |
| `start_dense_data` | datetime64[ns] | 0.0% | |
| `last_survey_point` | datetime64[ns] | 0.0% | |
| `data_coverage` | float64 | 0.0% | 43.13 – 43.13 (mean 43.13) |
| `data_coverage_recent` | float64 | 0.0% | 55.24 – 55.24 (mean 55.24) |
| `index_confidence_score` | float64 | 0.0% | 0.93 – 0.93 (mean 0.93) |
| `spatially_interpolated` | int64 | 0.0% | 0.0 – 0.0 (mean 0.0) |
| `maize` | float64 | 70.6% | 8.4 – 1800.0 (mean 215.5591) |
| `o_beans` | float64 | 0.0% | 60.45 – 9495.74 (mean 1091.7064) |
| `h_beans` | float64 | 0.0% | 63.59 – 10155.9 (mean 1179.7643) |
| `l_beans` | float64 | 0.0% | 57.32 – 8835.59 (mean 1006.4104) |
| `c_beans` | float64 | 0.0% | 59.73 – 9141.36 (mean 1093.5047) |
| `inflation_beans` | float64 | 5.2% | -45.59 – 340.31 (mean 28.6697) |
| `trust_beans` | float64 | 0.0% | 8.9 – 10.0 (mean 9.2458) |
| `o_cassava_fao` | float64 | 0.0% | 26.52 – 3650.36 (mean 564.9077) |
| `h_cassava_fao` | float64 | 0.0% | 28.23 – 3861.05 (mean 603.8983) |
| `l_cassava_fao` | float64 | 0.0% | 25.87 – 3376.85 (mean 527.556) |
| `c_cassava_fao` | float64 | 0.0% | 26.83 – 3571.09 (mean 564.5083) |
| `inflation_cassava_fao` | float64 | 5.2% | -40.93 – 300.01 (mean 32.4872) |
| `trust_cassava_fao` | float64 | 0.0% | |
| `o_maize` | float64 | 0.0% | |
| `h_maize` | float64 | 0.0% | |
| `l_maize` | float64 | 0.0% | |
| `c_maize` | float64 | 0.0% | |
| `inflation_maize` | float64 | 5.2% | |
| `trust_maize` | float64 | 0.0% | |
| `o_rice` | float64 | 0.0% | |
| `h_rice` | float64 | 0.0% | |
| `l_rice` | float64 | 0.0% | |
| `c_rice` | float64 | 0.0% | |
| `inflation_rice` | float64 | 5.2% | |
| `trust_rice` | float64 | 0.0% | |
| `o_food_price_index` | float64 | 0.0% | |
| `h_food_price_index` | float64 | 0.0% | |
| `l_food_price_index` | float64 | 0.0% | |
| `c_food_price_index` | float64 | 0.0% | |
| `inflation_food_price_index` | float64 | 5.2% | |
| `trust_food_price_index` | float64 | 0.0% | |
| `esa_source` | object | 0.0% | HDX |
| `esa_processed` | object | 0.0% | 2026-04-06 |

---

## Numeric Summary

| Column | Min | Max | Mean | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `lat` | -17.12 | -9.57 | -14.2179 | -14.4 |
| `lon` | 32.9 | 35.87 | 34.5408 | 34.63 |
| `year` | 2007.0 | 2026.0 | 2016.1301 | 2016.0 |
| `month` | 1.0 | 12.0 | 6.4415 | 6.0 |
| `data_coverage` | 43.13 | 43.13 | 43.13 | 43.13 |
| `data_coverage_recent` | 55.24 | 55.24 | 55.24 | 55.24 |
| `index_confidence_score` | 0.93 | 0.93 | 0.93 | 0.93 |
| `spatially_interpolated` | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| `maize` | 8.4 | 1800.0 | 215.5591 | 120.0 |
| `o_beans` | 60.45 | 9495.74 | 1091.7064 | 653.52 |
| `h_beans` | 63.59 | 10155.9 | 1179.7643 | 701.42 |
| `l_beans` | 57.32 | 8835.59 | 1006.4104 | 605.19 |
| `c_beans` | 59.73 | 9141.36 | 1093.5047 | 645.92 |
| `inflation_beans` | -45.59 | 340.31 | 28.6697 | 20.62 |
| `trust_beans` | 8.9 | 10.0 | 9.2458 | 9.2 |

---

## Curation

Raw data was downloaded from HDX via the CKAN API and converted to Parquet. Column names were lowercased and standardised to snake_case. Common missing-value markers (`N/A`, `null`, `none`, `-`, `unknown`, `no data`, `#N/A`) were unified to `NaN`. 808 column(s) with >80% missing values were removed: `apples`, `bananas`, `beans`, `beans_egyptian`, `beans_fao`, `bread`.... 3 column(s) were cast from string to numeric or datetime based on parse-success rate (>85% threshold). The dataset was split 80/20 into train and test partitions using a fixed random seed (42) and saved as Snappy-compressed Parquet.

---

## Limitations

- Data originates from World Bank Group and has not been independently validated by ESA.
- Automated cleaning cannot correct for misreported values, definitional inconsistencies, or sampling bias in the original collection.
- The following columns have >20% missing values and should be treated with caution in modelling: `maize`.
- Refer to the [original HDX dataset page](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/malawi-real-time-prices) for the publisher's own methodology notes and caveats.

---

## Citation

```bibtex
@dataset{hdx_africa_malawi_real_time_prices,
title = {Malawi - Real Time Prices},
author = {World Bank Group},
year = {2026},
url = {https://data.humdata.org/dataset/malawi-real-time-prices},
note = {Repackaged for machine learning by Electric Sheep Africa (https://huggingface.co/electricsheepafrica)}
}
```

---

*[Electric Sheep Africa](https://huggingface.co/electricsheepafrica) — Africa's ML dataset infrastructure. Lagos, Nigeria.*