Languages_of_Malawi
Demographics of Malawi
Demographics of the country
Demographic features of the population of Malawi include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
| Demographics of Malawi | |
|---|---|
Population pyramid of Malawi in 2020 | |
| Population | 20,794,353 (2022 est.) |
| Growth rate | 2.34% (2022 est.) |
| Birth rate | 27.94 births/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
| Death rate | 4.58 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 72.44 years |
| • male | 69.33 years |
| • female | 75.59 years |
| Fertility rate | 3.4 children born/woman (2022 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | 33.43 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
| Age structure | |
| 0–14 years | 45.87% |
| 65 and over | 2.68% |
| Nationality | |
| Nationality | Malawian |
| Language | |
| Official | English |
Malawi derives its name from the Maravi, a Bantu people who came from the southern Congo about 600 years ago. On reaching the area north of Lake Malawi, the Maravi divided. One branch, the ancestors of the present-day Chewas, moved south to the west bank of the lake. The other, the ancestors of the Nyanjas, moved down the east bank to the southern part of the country.
By AD 1500, the two divisions of the tribe had established a kingdom stretching from north of the present-day city of Nkhotakota to the Zambezi River in the south, and from Lake Malawi in the east, to the Luangwa River in Zambia in the west. Migrations and tribal conflicts precluded the formation of a cohesive Malawian society until the turn of the 20th century. In more recent years, ethnic and tribal distinctions have diminished. Regional distinctions and rivalries, however, persist. Despite some clear differences, no significant friction currently exists between tribal groups,[citation needed] and the concept of a Malawian nationality has begun to take hold. Predominantly a rural people, Malawians are generally conservative and traditionally nonviolent.[citation needed]
The Chewas constitute 90% of the population of the central region; the Nyanja tribe predominates in the south and the Tumbuka in the north. In addition, significant numbers of the Tongas live in the north; Ngonis—an offshoot of the Zulus who came from South Africa in the early 19th century—live in the lower northern and lower central regions; and the Yao, who are mostly Muslim, predominate in the Southern Region of the country and live in a wide band from Blantyre and Zomba north to Lake Malawi and east to the border with Mozambique. Bantus of other tribes came from Mozambique as refugees.
According to the 2022 revision of the World Population Prospects[1][2] the total population was 19,889,742 in 2021, compared to only 2 881 000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 45.8%, 51.1% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 3.1% was 65 years or older.[3]
| Total population (x 1000) | Population aged 0–14 (%) | Population aged 15–64 (%) | Population aged 65+ (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2 881 | 45.7 | 51.2 | 3.1 |
| 1955 | 3 166 | 45.7 | 51.5 | 2.8 |
| 1960 | 3 525 | 45.9 | 51.6 | 2.6 |
| 1965 | 3 975 | 45.3 | 52.3 | 2.4 |
| 1970 | 4 531 | 46.3 | 51.4 | 2.3 |
| 1975 | 5 302 | 46.9 | 50.6 | 2.5 |
| 1980 | 6 240 | 47.1 | 50.3 | 2.6 |
| 1985 | 7 268 | 47.5 | 50.0 | 2.5 |
| 1990 | 9 381 | 45.9 | 51.4 | 2.7 |
| 1995 | 9 883 | 44.7 | 52.2 | 3.1 |
| 2000 | 11 229 | 45.8 | 51.1 | 3.1 |
| 2005 | 12 823 | 46.1 | 50.9 | 3.1 |
| 2010 | 14 901 | 45.8 | 51.1 | 3.1 |
Total and Percent Distribution of Population by Single Year of Age (Census 09.03.2018)[4]
| Age | Population | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 17,563,749 | 100 |
| 0-4 | 2,552,406 | 14.53 |
| 0 | 522,802 | 2.98 |
| 1 | 509,351 | 2.90 |
| 2 | 490,811 | 2.79 |
| 3 | 511,365 | 2.91 |
| 4 | 518,077 | 2.95 |
| 5-9 | 2,632,878 | 14.99 |
| 5 | 529,111 | 3.01 |
| 6 | 546,708 | 3.11 |
| 7 | 526,347 | 3.00 |
| 8 | 532,846 | 3.03 |
| 9 | 497,866 | 2.83 |
| 10-14 | 2,533,303 | 14.42 |
| 10 | 539,264 | 3.07 |
| 11 | 489,887 | 2.79 |
| 12 | 517,832 | 2.95 |
| 13 | 492,122 | 2.80 |
| 14 | 494,198 | 2.81 |
| 15-19 | 2,035,945 | 11.59 |
| 15 | 452,017 | 2.57 |
| 16 | 339,248 | 1.93 |
| 17 | 384,682 | 2.19 |
| 18 | 497,831 | 2.83 |
| 19 | 362,167 | 2.06 |
| 20-24 | 1,651,576 | 9.40 |
| 20 | 357,667 | 2.04 |
| 21 | 323,511 | 1.84 |
| 22 | 304,519 | 1.73 |
| 23 | 330,222 | 1.88 |
| 24 | 335,657 | 1.91 |
| 25-29 | 1,229,411 | 7.00 |
| 25 | 291,198 | 1.66 |
| 26 | 274,739 | 1.56 |
| 27 | 213,337 | 1.21 |
| 28 | 238,630 | 1.36 |
| 29 | 211,507 | 1.20 |
| 30-34 | 1,107,226 | 6.30 |
| 30 | 243,969 | 1.39 |
| 31 | 209,155 | 1.19 |
| 32 | 226,360 | 1.29 |
| 33 | 218,620 | 1.24 |
| 34 | 209,122 | 1.19 |
| 35-39 | 968,998 | 5.52 |
| 35 | 221,078 | 1.26 |
| 36 | 207,499 | 1.18 |
| 37 | 165,564 | 0.94 |
| 38 | 210,252 | 1.20 |
| 39 | 164,605 | 0.94 |
| 40-44 | 729,600 | 4.15 |
| 40 | 168,637 | 0.96 |
| 41 | 137,967 | 0.79 |
| 42 | 147,438 | 0.84 |
| 43 | 151,363 | 0.86 |
| 44 | 124,195 | 0.71 |
| 45-49 | 535,868 | 3.05 |
| 45 | 129,172 | 0.74 |
| 46 | 121,996 | 0.69 |
| 47 | 89,576 | 0.51 |
| 48 | 112,116 | 0.64 |
| 49 | 83,008 | 0.47 |
| 50-54 | 387,812 | 2.21 |
| 50 | 99,632 | 0.57 |
| 51 | 57,309 | 0.33 |
| 52 | 63,690 | 0.36 |
| 53 | 72,671 | 0.41 |
| 54 | 94,510 | 0.54 |
| 55-59 | 306,921 | 1.75 |
| 55 | 69,274 | 0.39 |
| 56 | 63,914 | 0.36 |
| 57 | 50,534 | 0.29 |
| 58 | 75,091 | 0.43 |
| 59 | 48,108 | 0.27 |
| 60-64 | 234,918 | 1.34 |
| 60 | 69,006 | 0.39 |
| 61 | 38,753 | 0.22 |
| 62 | 44,264 | 0.25 |
| 63 | 40,119 | 0.23 |
| 64 | 42,776 | 0.24 |
| 65-69 | 240,551 | 1.37 |
| 65 | 47,861 | 0.27 |
| 66 | 50,078 | 0.29 |
| 67 | 35,456 | 0.20 |
| 68 | 59,659 | 0.34 |
| 69 | 47,497 | 0.27 |
| 70-74 | 144,788 | 0.82 |
| 70 | 39,380 | 0.22 |
| 71 | 27,618 | 0.16 |
| 72 | 26,622 | 0.15 |
| 73 | 31,656 | 0.18 |
| 74 | 19,512 | 0.11 |
| 75-79 | 124,718 | 0.71 |
| 75 | 25,635 | 0.15 |
| 76 | 28,492 | 0.16 |
| 77 | 19,096 | 0.11 |
| 78 | 35,174 | 0.20 |
| 79 | 16,321 | 0.09 |
| 80-84 | 63,675 | 0.36 |
| 80 | 16,846 | 0.10 |
| 81 | 9,987 | 0.06 |
| 82 | 12,908 | 0.07 |
| 83 | 14,208 | 0.08 |
| 84 | 9,726 | 0.06 |
| 85-89 | 54,754 | 0.31 |
| 85 | 12,054 | 0.07 |
| 86 | 14,628 | 0.08 |
| 87 | 8,331 | 0.05 |
| 88 | 15,327 | 0.09 |
| 89 | 4,414 | 0.03 |
| 90-94 | 15,130 | 0.09 |
| 90 | 5,041 | 0.03 |
| 91 | 2,466 | 0.01 |
| 92 | 2,746 | 0.02 |
| 93 | 2,897 | 0.02 |
| 94 | 1,980 | 0.01 |
| 95+ | 13,271 | 0.08 |
| Age group | Population | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| 0-14 | 7,718,587 | 43.95 |
| 15-64 | 9,188,275 | 52.31 |
| 65+ | 656,887 | 3.74 |
UN population projections
Numbers are in thousands. UN medium variant projections [3]
- 2015 17,522
- 2020 20,677
- 2025 24,212
- 2030 28,173
- 2035 32,667
- 2040 37,797
- 2045 43,521
- 2050 49,719
Registration of vital events is in Malawi not complete. The website Our World in Data prepared the following estimates based on statistics from the Population Department of the United Nations.[5]
| Mid-year population (thousands) | Live births (thousands) | Deaths (thousands) | Natural change (thousands) | Crude birth rate (per 1000) | Crude death rate (per 1000) | Natural change (per 1000) | Total fertility rate (TFR) | Infant mortality (per 1000 live births) | Life expectancy (in years) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2 950 000 | 145 000 | 96 000 | 49 000 | 49.2 | 32.5 | 16.7 | 6.80 | 206.1 | 32.75 |
| 1951 | 3 001 000 | 149 000 | 96 000 | 53 000 | 49.6 | 31.8 | 17.8 | 6.81 | 205.8 | 32.81 |
| 1952 | 3 056 000 | 153 000 | 96 000 | 57 000 | 50.1 | 31.4 | 18.6 | 6.83 | 204.9 | 32.91 |
| 1953 | 3 115 000 | 157 000 | 97 000 | 60 000 | 50.5 | 31.2 | 19.4 | 6.85 | 203.9 | 33.10 |
| 1954 | 3 176 000 | 160 000 | 98 000 | 62 000 | 50.4 | 30.8 | 19.5 | 6.79 | 202.9 | 33.40 |
| 1955 | 3 240 000 | 165 000 | 99 000 | 66 000 | 50.9 | 30.5 | 20.5 | 6.83 | 201.8 | 33.79 |
| 1956 | 3 309 000 | 170 000 | 100 000 | 70 000 | 51.4 | 30.2 | 21.3 | 6.87 | 200.5 | 34.22 |
| 1957 | 3 381 000 | 176 000 | 101 000 | 74 000 | 52.0 | 30.0 | 22.0 | 6.91 | 199.3 | 34.52 |
| 1958 | 3 457 000 | 181 000 | 103 000 | 78 000 | 52.4 | 29.9 | 22.6 | 6.95 | 197.9 | 34.80 |
| 1959 | 3 537 000 | 187 000 | 105 000 | 82 000 | 53.0 | 29.8 | 23.2 | 7.00 | 196.5 | 35.02 |
| 1960 | 3 621 000 | 193 000 | 108 000 | 85 000 | 53.3 | 29.7 | 23.5 | 7.03 | 195.2 | 35.20 |
| 1961 | 3 708 000 | 199 000 | 110 000 | 89 000 | 53.7 | 29.7 | 24.0 | 7.07 | 193.8 | 35.33 |
| 1962 | 3 799 000 | 205 000 | 112 000 | 93 000 | 54.0 | 29.5 | 24.5 | 7.10 | 192.6 | 35.65 |
| 1963 | 3 894 000 | 212 000 | 116 000 | 96 000 | 54.3 | 29.7 | 24.6 | 7.13 | 191.8 | 35.62 |
| 1964 | 3 990 000 | 216 000 | 118 000 | 98 000 | 54.1 | 29.6 | 24.4 | 7.10 | 191.1 | 35.69 |
| 1965 | 4 089 000 | 221 000 | 121 000 | 100 000 | 54.1 | 29.6 | 24.4 | 7.11 | 190.7 | 35.72 |
| 1966 | 4 191 000 | 227 000 | 124 000 | 103 000 | 54.2 | 29.5 | 24.7 | 7.16 | 190.1 | 35.87 |
| 1967 | 4 296 000 | 233 000 | 127 000 | 107 000 | 54.3 | 29.5 | 24.8 | 7.22 | 189.4 | 35.90 |
| 1968 | 4 403 000 | 239 000 | 129 000 | 110 000 | 54.3 | 29.4 | 25.0 | 7.28 | 188.6 | 36.04 |
| 1969 | 4 513 000 | 244 000 | 131 000 | 113 000 | 54.1 | 29.1 | 25.0 | 7.29 | 187.7 | 36.32 |
| 1970 | 4 625 000 | 249 000 | 133 000 | 117 000 | 53.9 | 28.7 | 25.2 | 7.32 | 186.2 | 36.73 |
| 1971 | 4 742 000 | 254 000 | 133 000 | 121 000 | 53.6 | 28.1 | 25.5 | 7.33 | 183.8 | 37.24 |
| 1972 | 4 866 000 | 260 000 | 134 000 | 127 000 | 53.5 | 27.4 | 26.0 | 7.35 | 180.6 | 37.90 |
| 1973 | 4 996 000 | 266 000 | 134 000 | 132 000 | 53.2 | 26.8 | 26.5 | 7.36 | 176.8 | 38.54 |
| 1974 | 5 134 000 | 272 000 | 134 000 | 138 000 | 53.0 | 26.0 | 26.9 | 7.37 | 172.9 | 39.27 |
| 1975 | 5 281 000 | 279 000 | 133 000 | 146 000 | 52.9 | 25.2 | 27.7 | 7.40 | 168.6 | 40.22 |
| 1976 | 5 438 000 | 287 000 | 132 000 | 155 000 | 52.8 | 24.3 | 28.5 | 7.43 | 164.3 | 41.23 |
| 1977 | 5 612 000 | 296 000 | 131 000 | 164 000 | 52.7 | 23.4 | 29.3 | 7.46 | 159.7 | 42.23 |
| 1978 | 5 809 000 | 305 000 | 131 000 | 174 000 | 52.6 | 22.6 | 30.1 | 7.48 | 154.9 | 43.29 |
| 1979 | 6 029 000 | 315 000 | 132 000 | 184 000 | 52.5 | 21.9 | 30.6 | 7.51 | 149.8 | 44.27 |
| 1980 | 6 267 000 | 329 000 | 134 000 | 195 000 | 52.6 | 21.4 | 31.2 | 7.57 | 145.7 | 45.09 |
| 1981 | 6 520 000 | 339 000 | 137 000 | 203 000 | 52.3 | 21.0 | 31.3 | 7.54 | 142.1 | 45.70 |
| 1982 | 6 784 000 | 351 000 | 141 000 | 210 000 | 51.9 | 20.9 | 31.1 | 7.51 | 140.1 | 45.99 |
| 1983 | 7 058 000 | 361 000 | 147 000 | 214 000 | 51.3 | 20.9 | 30.4 | 7.44 | 140.0 | 46.04 |
| 1984 | 7 339 000 | 370 000 | 155 000 | 215 000 | 50.7 | 21.2 | 29.4 | 7.36 | 141.6 | 45.58 |
| 1985 | 7 625 000 | 382 000 | 164 000 | 218 000 | 50.3 | 21.7 | 28.7 | 7.29 | 143.7 | 44.95 |
| 1986 | 7 910 000 | 393 000 | 174 000 | 220 000 | 49.9 | 22.0 | 27.9 | 7.22 | 145.2 | 44.34 |
| 1987 | 8 296 000 | 404 000 | 182 000 | 222 000 | 49.5 | 22.3 | 27.2 | 7.15 | 145.5 | 43.81 |
| 1988 | 8 755 000 | 423 000 | 198 000 | 225 000 | 48.9 | 22.9 | 26.0 | 7.02 | 144.6 | 43.38 |
| 1989 | 9 175 000 | 439 000 | 204 000 | 234 000 | 48.3 | 22.5 | 25.8 | 6.91 | 142.6 | 43.34 |
| 1990 | 9 540 000 | 454 000 | 210 000 | 244 000 | 47.8 | 22.1 | 25.7 | 6.81 | 139.9 | 43.32 |
| 1991 | 9 832 000 | 467 000 | 213 000 | 253 000 | 47.5 | 21.7 | 25.8 | 6.72 | 136.5 | 43.31 |
| 1992 | 10 115 000 | 477 000 | 215 000 | 262 000 | 47.2 | 21.3 | 25.9 | 6.65 | 132.4 | 43.41 |
| 1993 | 10 257 000 | 488 000 | 219 000 | 269 000 | 46.9 | 21.0 | 25.9 | 6.59 | 128.9 | 43.39 |
| 1994 | 10 132 000 | 484 000 | 214 000 | 270 000 | 46.6 | 20.6 | 26.0 | 6.51 | 125.4 | 43.56 |
| 1995 | 10 113 000 | 470 000 | 206 000 | 264 000 | 46.3 | 20.3 | 26.0 | 6.42 | 122.4 | 43.64 |
| 1996 | 10 311 000 | 476 000 | 212 000 | 264 000 | 46.0 | 20.5 | 25.5 | 6.31 | 120.0 | 43.44 |
| 1997 | 10 513 000 | 486 000 | 218 000 | 268 000 | 46.1 | 20.7 | 25.4 | 6.26 | 117.6 | 43.13 |
| 1998 | 10 732 000 | 497 000 | 224 000 | 273 000 | 46.2 | 20.8 | 25.4 | 6.24 | 114.6 | 42.85 |
| 1999 | 10 974 000 | 506 000 | 222 000 | 284 000 | 46.0 | 20.2 | 25.8 | 6.15 | 110.7 | 43.57 |
| 2000 | 11 229 000 | 510 000 | 220 000 | 290 000 | 45.4 | 19.6 | 25.8 | 6.04 | 105.2 | 44.52 |
| 2001 | 11 499 000 | 520 000 | 214 000 | 306 000 | 45.2 | 18.6 | 26.6 | 5.99 | 98.1 | 45.90 |
| 2002 | 11 784 000 | 532 000 | 208 000 | 324 000 | 45.1 | 17.7 | 27.4 | 5.96 | 90.9 | 47.22 |
| 2003 | 12 088 000 | 546 000 | 201 000 | 345 000 | 45.1 | 16.6 | 28.5 | 5.94 | 83.1 | 48.79 |
| 2004 | 12 411 000 | 559 000 | 193 000 | 366 000 | 45.0 | 15.5 | 29.4 | 5.93 | 76.7 | 50.45 |
| 2005 | 12 756 000 | 573 000 | 187 000 | 387 000 | 44.9 | 14.6 | 30.3 | 5.91 | 71.7 | 52.04 |
| 2006 | 13 118 000 | 583 000 | 183 000 | 400 000 | 44.4 | 14.0 | 30.4 | 5.84 | 68.2 | 53.24 |
| 2007 | 13 495 000 | 589 000 | 182 000 | 407 000 | 43.6 | 13.5 | 30.1 | 5.74 | 65.8 | 53.95 |
| 2008 | 13 889 000 | 593 000 | 180 000 | 413 000 | 42.7 | 13.0 | 29.7 | 5.61 | 62.8 | 54.60 |
| 2009 | 14 299 000 | 598 000 | 174 000 | 424 000 | 41.8 | 12.2 | 29.6 | 5.45 | 59.9 | 55.45 |
| 2010 | 14 718 000 | 601 000 | 168 000 | 433 000 | 40.8 | 11.4 | 29.4 | 5.27 | 56.9 | 56.38 |
| 2011 | 15 146 000 | 604 000 | 161 000 | 444 000 | 39.9 | 10.6 | 29.3 | 5.11 | 53.1 | 57.46 |
| 2012 | 15 581 000 | 605 000 | 153 000 | 452 000 | 38.8 | 9.8 | 29.0 | 4.92 | 49.0 | 58.68 |
| 2013 | 16 025 000 | 607 000 | 146 000 | 461 000 | 37.9 | 9.1 | 28.8 | 4.78 | 44.6 | 59.73 |
| 2014 | 16 478 000 | 606 000 | 138 000 | 468 000 | 36.8 | 8.4 | 28.4 | 4.61 | 41.0 | 60.90 |
| 2015 | 16 939 000 | 606 000 | 136 000 | 470 000 | 35.8 | 8.0 | 27.8 | 4.45 | 38.5 | 61.38 |
| 2016 | 17 406 000 | 606 000 | 131 000 | 475 000 | 34.8 | 7.5 | 27.3 | 4.31 | 35.9 | 62.21 |
| 2017 | 17 881 000 | 614 000 | 128 000 | 486 000 | 34.3 | 7.1 | 27.2 | 4.22 | 33.7 | 62.98 |
| 2018 | 18 368 000 | 623 000 | 128 000 | 496 000 | 33.9 | 7.0 | 27.0 | 4.14 | 31.7 | 63.28 |
| 2019 | 18 867 000 | 634 000 | 125 000 | 509 000 | 33.6 | 6.6 | 27.0 | 4.07 | 30.1 | 64.12 |
| 2020 | 19 377 000 | 644 000 | 130 000 | 514 000 | 33.2 | 6.7 | 26.5 | 4.00 | 28.7 | 63.72 |
| 2021 | 19 890 000 | 654 000 | 139 000 | 515 000 | 32.9 | 7.0 | 25.9 | 3.92 | 27.5 | 62.90 |
 | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
| Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
| Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
| Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Fertility and births
Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):[6][7]
| Year | CBR (Total) | TFR (Total) | CBR (Urban) | TFR (Urban) | CBR (Rural) | TFR (Rural) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 52 | 7.58 | ||||
| 1992 | 42.9 | 6.73 (5.74) | 40.5 | 5.51 (4.38) | 43.2 | 6.88 (5.92) |
| 2000 | 45.5 | 6.3 (5.2) | 40.8 | 4.5 (3.5) | 46.2 | 6.7 (5.5) |
| 2004 | 42.4 | 6.0 (4.9) | 37.0 | 4.2 (3.3) | 43.4 | 6.4 (5.2) |
| 2010 | 39.2 | 5.7 (4.5) | 36.0 | 4.0 (3.3) | 39.8 | 6.1 (4.8) |
| 2015-16 | 32.2 | 4.4 (3.4) | 29.5 | 3.0 (2.5) | 32.6 | 4.7 (3.6) |
| 2017 | 32.1 | 4.2 | 27.4 | 2.8 | 33.0 | 4.5 |
Fertility data as of 2016 (DHS Program):[8]
Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2019.[9]
- One birth every 48 seconds
- One death every 4 minutes
- One net migrant every 65 minutes
- Net gain of one person every 59 seconds
The following demographic are from the CIA World Factbook[10] unless otherwise indicated.
Population
- 20,794,353 (2022 est.)
- 19,842,560 (July 2018 est.)
- 19,196,246 (July 2017 est.)
Religions
Protestant 33.5% (includes Church of Central Africa Presbyterian 14.2%, Seventh Day Adventist/Baptist 9.4%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Anglican 2.3%), Roman Catholic 17.2%, other Christian 26.6%, Muslim 13.8%, traditionalist 1.1%, other 5.6%, none 2.1% (2018 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years: 45.87% (male 4,843,107/female 4,878,983)
- 15-24 years: 20.51% (male 2,151,417/female 2,195,939)
- 25-54 years: 27.96% (male 2,944,936/female 2,982,195)
- 55-64 years: 2.98% (male 303,803/female 328,092)
- 65 years and over: 2.68% (2020 est.) (male 249,219/female 318,938)
- 0-14 years: 46.17% (male 4,560,940 /female 4,600,184)
- 15-24 years: 20.58% (male 2,023,182 /female 2,059,765)
- 25-54 years: 27.57% (male 2,717,613 /female 2,752,983)
- 55-64 years: 3% (male 284,187 /female 310,393)
- 65 years and over: 2.69% (male 234,776 /female 298,537) (2018 est.)
Birth rate
- 27.94 births/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 38th
- 40.7 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 8th
- 41 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)
Death rate
- 4.58 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 206th
- 7.7 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 100th
- 7.9 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)
Total fertility rate
- 3.4 children born/woman (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 41st
- 4 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 9th
Population growth rate
- 2.34% (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 31st
- 3.31% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 3rd
- 3.31% (2017 est.)
Median age
- total: 16.8 years. Country comparison to the world: 221st
- male: 16.7 years
- female: 16.9 years (2020 est.)
- total: 16.6 years. Country comparison to the world: 223rd
- male: 16.5 years
- female: 16.8 years (2018 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth
- 18.9 years (2015/16 est.)
- note: median age at first birth among women 25-29
Contraceptive prevalence rate
- 59.2% (2015/16)
Net migration rate
- 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 91st
- 0 migrants/1,000 population (2017). There is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities.
Dependency ratios
- total dependency ratio: 91 (2015 est.)
- youth dependency ratio: 85.3 (2015 est.)
- elderly dependency ratio: 5.7 (2015 est.)
- potential support ratio: 17.4 (2015 est.)
Urbanization
- urban population: 18% of total population (2022)
- rate of urbanization: 4.41% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
- urban population: 16.9% of total population (2018)
- rate of urbanization: 4.19% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
| Rank | Name | Region | Pop. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lilongwe Blantyre |
1 | Lilongwe | Central | 989,318 | |||||
| 2 | Blantyre | Southern | 800,264 | ||||||
| 3 | Mzuzu | Northern | 221,272 | ||||||
| 4 | Zomba | Southern | 105,013 | ||||||
| 5 | Karonga | Northern | 61,609 | ||||||
| 6 | Kasungu | Central | 58,653 | ||||||
| 7 | Mangochi | Southern | 53,498 | ||||||
| 8 | Salima | Central | 36,789 | ||||||
| 9 | Liwonde | Southern | 36,421 | ||||||
| 10 | Balaka | Southern | 36,308 | ||||||
Life expectancy at birth
- total population: 72.44 years. Country comparison to the world: 154th
male: 69.33 years female: 75.59 years (2022 est.)
- total population: 62.2 years (2018 est.)
- male: 60.2 years (2018 est.)
- female: 64.3 years (2018 est.)
- total population: 61.7 years
- male: 59.7 years
- female: 63.8 years (2017 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
- under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
- total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Ratio of medical doctors to general population
1 Doctor/65,000 Malawians [12]
Major infectious diseases
- degree of risk: very high (2020)
- food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
- vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
- water contact diseases: schistosomiasis
- animal contact diseases: rabies
note: on 21 March 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; Malawi is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine
Nationality
- noun: Malawian(s)
- adjective: Malawian
Ethnic groups
Languages
English (official)
- Chichewa 6,180,000
- Chitumbuka - 4,180,000
- Chiyao - 3,760,000
- Chilomwe - 3,290,000
- Chisena - 2,468,000
- Chingoni - 37,500
- Chimakhuwa - 200,000
- Chitonga - 471,000
- Chinyika - 5,000
- Chinyiha - 10,000
- Chindali - 70,000
- Chinyakyusa - 149,000
- Chilambya - 59,500
- Afrikaans - 26,000
Education expenditures
- 2.9% of GDP (2020)
- country comparison to the world: 159
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
- total population: 62.1%
- male: 69.8%
- female: 55.2% (2015 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
- total: 11 years (2011)
- male: 11 years (2011)
- female: 11 years (2011)
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24
- total: 8.5%
- male: 6.7%
- female: 10.6% (2017 est.)
- "World Population Prospects 2022". United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
- "World Population Prospects 2022: Demographic indicators by region, subregion and country, annually for 1950-2100" (XSLX) ("Total Population, as of 1 July (thousands)"). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
- "2018 Population and Housing Census Main Report" (PDF). Malawi National Statistical Office. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
- "Population & Demography Data Explorer". Our World in Data. Retrieved 2022-07-22.
- "MEASURE DHS: Demographic and Health Surveys". Microdata.worldbank.org. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- "STATcompiler". www.statcompiler.com. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
- "Malawi Demographic and Demographic and Health Survey : Health Survey 2015-16" (PDF). Dhsprogram.com. Retrieved 2017-08-04.
- "Malawi Population 2019", World Population Review
This article incorporates public domain material from "Malawi". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). CIA. Retrieved July 12, 2018. (Archived 2018 edition.)- von Bothmer, Eleanore (2009). "Global lack of medical doctors". Development and Cooperation. 36 (3). Frankfurt am Main: Societäts-Verlag: 94. Archived from the original on 2009-07-26.
- "Africa :: MALI". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2017-08-04.
