Key demographics
- Population
- 21.2M
- Density
- 148.2/km²
- HDI
- 0.517 (Low)
- Gini index (2016)
- 44.7
- Life expectancy (2024)
- 67.6 yrs
- Fertility rate (2024)
- 3.59
- Urban population (2025)
- 17.6%
- Literacy rate (2020)
- 70.2%
- Labor force (2025)
- 63.2%
- Gender wage gap (2013)
- 18.8%
Population structure
- Dependency ratio
- 74.6%
- Profile
- Very Young
- Urban population (2025)
- 17.6%
- Birth rate (2024)
- 31.1 /1000
- Death rate (2024)
- 5.3 /1000
- Largest city (2025)
- 35.6%
- Fertility rate (2024)
- 3.59
- Infant mortality (2024)
- 38.0 /1000
- Slum population (2022)
- 38.0%
- Tourism (2018)
- 871.0K
Languages and culture
| Language | Native name |
|---|---|
| English | English |
| Chewa | chiCheŵa |
| Religion | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Christianity | 82.3% |
| Islam | 13.8% |
| None | 2.1% |
| Traditional faiths | 1.2% |
| Other | 0.6% |
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Chewa | 25.2% |
| Tumbuka | 20.4% |
| Lomwe | 16.4% |
| Yao | 15.3% |
| Ngoni | 6.4% |
| Sena | 5.9% |
| Mang'anja | 3.8% |
| Tonga | 1.8% |
| Ngonde | 1.5% |
| Lambya | 0.6% |
| Sukwa | 0.5% |
| Others | 1.1% |
- Demonym (male)
- Malawian
- Demonym (female)
- Malawian
- National anthem
- Mulungu dalitsa Malaŵi
Healthcare
- Life expectancy (2024)
- 67.6 yrs
- HALE (2021)
- 54.7 yrs
- Health spending (2023)
- 6.5% of GDP
- Infant mortality (2024)
- 38.0/1000
- UHC index (2023)
- 52/100
- Hospital beds (2011)
- 1.3/1000
- Physicians (2022)
- 0.05/1000
- Nurses (2022)
- 0.51/1000
- Health spending per capita (2023)
- $41
- Out-of-pocket (2023)
- 12.0%
Education and technology
- Literacy rate (2020)
- 70.2%
- Education spending (2022)
- 2.8% of GDP
- Learning outcomes (2020)
- 359
- Internet users (2024)
- 19.0%
- Mobile subscriptions (2024)
- 69.3/100
- Broadband (2024)
- 0.1/100
- Secure servers (2024)
- 32/1M
Broadband connectivity
- Broadband per 100 (2024)
- 0.1
Geography and practical
- Area
- 118,484 km²
- Continent
- Africa
- Region
- Africa
- Subregion
- Eastern Africa
- Landlocked
- Yes
- Driving side
- Left
- Timezones
- UTC+02:00
- Calling codes
- +265
- TLD
- .mw
- Maps
- Google Maps · OpenStreetMap
Borders
National symbols
- Flag
- The flag of Malawi is composed of three equal horizontal bands of black, red and green. The top half of a red sun with thirty-one visible rays is centered in the black band.
- National anthem
- Mulungu dalitsa Malaŵi