Demographics of Malawi
In-game article clicks load inline without leaving the challenge.
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.
Region distribution
Northern region
The Tumbuka people make up of 94% of the population of the Northern region. Other groups include the Ngonde, Lambya and Sukwa. The predominant and common language in the region is Chitumbuka, which is also spoken in Central Region of Malawi.
The sub branch of Tonga people are part of the Tumbuka people who relocated in their current territories in the early 19th Century when the Nkhamanga Kingdom started to decline.
Central region
The Chewa ethnic group make up about 65% of the population of the central region. Other ethnic groups found in the region include the Tumbuka and Ngoni, among others. Chichewa is the common language in the region, followed by Chitumbuka in some districts such as Kasungu, Dowa and Nkhotakota.
Southern region
The Southern region is made up of the Yao and the Lomwe people. They are both the Bantu groups who came from Mozambique due to wars. The common languages in urban areas such as Blantyre are Chichewa, English and Chitumbuka. In rural areas, Lomwe, Sena and Yao are used, primarily by elder people.
Population
| Year | Total population (×1000) | Population percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| aged 0–14 | aged 15–64 | 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)
| 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
- 2015 17,522
- 2020 20,677
- 2025 24,212
- 2030 28,173
- 2035 32,667
- 2040 37,797
- 2045 43,521
- 2050 49,719
Vital statistics
United Nations estimates
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.
| 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 | 44.0 | 14.3 | 29.7 | 5.85 | 71.7 | 52.04 |
| 2006 | 13 118 000 | 583 000 | 183 000 | 400 000 | 43.8 | 13.7 | 30.1 | 5.80 | 68.2 | 53.24 |
| 2007 | 13 495 000 | 589 000 | 182 000 | 407 000 | 43.3 | 13.1 | 30.2 | 5.72 | 65.8 | 53.95 |
| 2008 | 13 889 000 | 593 000 | 180 000 | 413 000 | 42.6 | 12.4 | 30.2 | 5.61 | 62.8 | 54.60 |
| 2009 | 14 299 000 | 598 000 | 174 000 | 424 000 | 41.7 | 11.5 | 30.2 | 5.45 | 59.9 | 55.45 |
| 2010 | 14 718 000 | 601 000 | 168 000 | 433 000 | 40.7 | 10.7 | 30.0 | 5.26 | 56.9 | 56.38 |
| 2011 | 15 146 000 | 604 000 | 161 000 | 444 000 | 39.7 | 9.9 | 29.8 | 5.08 | 53.1 | 57.46 |
| 2012 | 15 581 000 | 605 000 | 153 000 | 452 000 | 38.6 | 9.2 | 29.3 | 4.90 | 49.0 | 58.68 |
| 2013 | 16 025 000 | 607 000 | 146 000 | 461 000 | 37.7 | 8.6 | 29.1 | 4.76 | 44.6 | 59.73 |
| 2014 | 16 478 000 | 606 000 | 138 000 | 468 000 | 36.5 | 8.1 | 28.4 | 4.57 | 41.0 | 60.90 |
| 2015 | 16 939 000 | 606 000 | 136 000 | 470 000 | 35.83 | 7.6 | 27.7 | 4.38 | 38.5 | 61.38 |
| 2016 | 17 406 000 | 606 000 | 131 000 | 475 000 | 34.2 | 7.2 | 27.0 | 4.22 | 35.9 | 62.21 |
| 2017 | 17 881 000 | 614 000 | 128 000 | 486 000 | 33.7 | 6.8 | 26.9 | 4.11 | 33.7 | 62.98 |
| 2018 | 18 368 000 | 623 000 | 128 000 | 496 000 | 33.2 | 6.5 | 26.7 | 4.02 | 31.7 | 63.28 |
| 2019 | 18 867 000 | 634 000 | 125 000 | 509 000 | 32.9 | 6.3 | 26.6 | 3.95 | 30.1 | 64.12 |
| 2020 | 19 377 000 | 644 000 | 130 000 | 514 000 | 32.5 | 6.2 | 26.3 | 3.88 | 28.7 | 63.72 |
| 2021 | 19 890 000 | 654 000 | 139 000 | 515 000 | 32.1 | 6.3 | 25.8 | 3.79 | 27.5 | 62.90 |
| 2022 | 31.7 | 5.8 | 25.9 | 3.72 | ||||||
| 2023 | 31.4 | 5.4 | 26.0 | 3.65 | ||||||
| 2024 | 31.1 | 5.3 | 25.9 | 3.59 | ||||||
| 2025 | 30.8 | 5.2 | 25.6 | 3.53 |
Demographic and Health Surveys
Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):
| Year | Total | Urban | Rural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CBR | TFR | CBR | TFR | CBR | TFR | |
| 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 |
| 2024 | 28.4 | 3.7 (3.1) | 25.6 | 2.8 (2.4) | 28.9 | 3.9 (3.3) |
Fertility data as of 2016 (DHS Program):
| Region | Total fertility rate | Percentage of women age 15-49 currently pregnant | Mean number of children ever born to women age 40-49 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern | 4.2 | 8.1 | 5.7 |
| Central | 4.4 | 7.8 | 6.2 |
| Southern | 4.6 | 7.3 | 5.7 |
| Total | 4.4 | 7.6 | 5.9 |
Ethnic groups
- Chewa 24.3%
- Tumbuka 21.4%
- Lomwe 17.8%
- Yao 13.2%
- Ngoni 11.4%
- Sena 3.8%
- Mang'anja 3.2%
- Tonga 1.8%
- Nyakyusa 1%
- Asians 0.09%
- Europeans 0.04%
- Other 2.5%
Languages
The official language of Malawi is English and the other common languages understood by the majority of the population are Chichewa and Chitumbuka.
[failed verification]
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
- Chitonga - 471,000
- Chinyika - 5,000
- Chindali - 70,000
- Chinyakyusa - 149,000
- Chilambya - 59,500
Religion
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.)