Malawi
Country in Africa
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 22.2M (2025). World rank 60 of 216; in Africa, 21 of 54. Area: 118,484 km². World rank 101 of 249; in Africa, 37 of 59. GDP per person: $672 (2025). World rank 204 of 210 (1 = best); in Africa, 47 of 52. From 2015 to 2025: population 17.1M → 22.2M, GDP $9.2B → $14.9B, and GDP per person $540 → $672. Better than all its neighbours (Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia): life expectancy.
State
- Official name
- Republic of Malawi
- Local name
- Malawi
- Capital
- Lilongwe
- Region
- Africa
- Form of government
- Presidential republic
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Peter Mutharika
- Head of government
- Lazarus Chakwera
- Independence
- July 6, 1964
- Women in parliament
- 21.4% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 22,216,120 2025
- Area
- 118,484 km²
- GDP
- $14.9B 2025
- GDP per person
- $672 2025
- Life expectancy
- 67.6 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- English, Nyanja
- Currency
- Malawian Kwacha (MWK)
- Time zones
- UTC+2
- Calling code
- +265
- Emergency numbers
- 990, 997, 998, 999
- Driving side
- Left
- Plug types
- G
- Mains voltage
- 230 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Landlocked
- Coastline, km
- 0
- Neighbours
- Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia
- Agricultural land
- 65% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Mulanje Massif, 3,002 m
- Lowest point
- Shire River, 37 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 779
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 20
- Warmest month in the capital
- November, 25°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- July, 16°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 1,181 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 187.5 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +2.6% 2025
- Living in cities
- 17.6% 2025
- Net migration per year
- -5.6K 2025
- Born in another country
- 0.9% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 40.1% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 57.3% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 2.6% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 70.8 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 64.3 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 3.6 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 31.1 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 5.3 2024
Society
- Religions
- Protestant 33.5%, other Christian 26.6%, Catholic 17.2%, Muslim 13.8%, and other 5.6% (2018)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 56.4 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 34.7 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 40 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 45.4 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 57.6 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $1,899 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +1.9% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Low income
- Gross national income per person
- $600 2025
- Inflation
- +28.4% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 35 2023
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 30% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 14.3% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 48.7% 2025
- Unemployment
- 5.1% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 7% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 58.2% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 10.7% 2025
- Imports, share of GDP
- 28.8% 2025
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- -13.9% 2025
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +3.6% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 2% 2025
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 15.6% 2024
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 38.5 2019
- Living on under $3 a day
- 75.4% 2019
Education
- Adult literacy
- 70.2% 2020
- Primary school enrolment
- 139% 2024
- Secondary school enrolment
- 36.6% 2023
- Higher education enrolment
- 2.7% 2022
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 2.8% 2022
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 6.5% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $41 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 12% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 0.1 2022
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 0.5 2022
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 1.3 2011
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 89% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 38 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 48.8 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 225 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 6.2% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 5.7% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 24.3% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 8.9% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 73% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 49.2% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 2% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 1.8 2012
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 33.4 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 7.6 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 62.7 2025
- Natural hazards
- earthquakes, floods, and droughts
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 16.7 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 0.2 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 0.9 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 22% 2024
- Protected areas
- 23.1% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 785 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 17.5% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 19% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 69 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 0.1 2024
- Internet domain
- .mw
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 15.6% 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 62.9% 2022
- Electricity from renewables
- 80.1% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 19.9% 2021
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 3,507 2023
- Airports
- 27 2025
- Railways, km
- 767 2014
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 0.2% 2019
- Researchers per million people
- 25 2019
- Scientific articles per year
- 378 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 3 2016
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 1.7% 2024