Social protection has been defined differently by several authors. The United Nations define social protection as a set of public and private policies and programmes undertaken by societies in response to various contingencies to offset the absence or substantial reduction of income from work; to provide assi stance for families with children as well as provide people with health care and housing (UN , 2001). On the other hand, van Ginneken (2003) sees it as benefits that society provides to individuals and households; through public and collective measures; to guarantee them a minimum standard of living and to protect them against a low or declining living standards arising out of a number of basic needs. Varied the definitions may be, social protection aims at income redistribution in order to protect everyone against poverty.   It is well documented that social protection systems were established to replace the traditional family or neighbourhood solidarity which were greatly undermined by industrialisation, rural emigration and urban development. Without social protection, poor people are prone to increased risks of sinking below the poverty line; worse still, to remain stuck in poverty. Above all, Social protection is also a human right as defined by Article 22 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: ‘everyone has a right to social s ecurity and is entitled to realisation through national effort and international cooperation’ (UN, n.d). Though it is a human right, coverage of social protection, especially for those in the informal sector is very limited in many developing countries including Malawi. This paper discusses the history and evol u-tion of social protection in Malawi, explores the coverage of existing social security schemes, highlights the legislative frameworks governing social security in the country and examines the 