Malawi Population 2023 (Live)

21,148,423

According to current projections, Malawi’s population is expected to surpass 50 million people by 2058 and reach 66.21 million by the end of the century. With a current population of about 19.13 million for 2020, this means that Malawi’s population is expected to more than triple by 2099.

Malawi’s population grew 2.69% from 2019 to 2020, adding about 500,000 people to the population. While Malawi experiences negative net migration, the fertility rate of 4.25 births per woman helps boost the population growth.

Malawi’s rapid population growth will challenge the country’s ability to meet the needs of its people and its health, education, economic, and agricultural sectors. The rapid population growth will also lead to environmental degradation and faster depletion of resources, such as clean water, as well as create an even larger poverty problem.

Population Rank
Growth Rate
2023 World Percentage
Land Area
94,280
The current population of Malawi is 21,148,423 based on projections of the latest United Nations data. The UN estimates the July 1, 2023 population at 20,931,751.

Malawi Growth Rate

Malawi Population 2023 (Live)

Malawi Population Clock

Malawi Population (as of 11/25/2023)21,148,423
Last UN Estimate (July 1, 2023)20,931,751
Births per Day1,859
Deaths per Day378
Migrations per Day-16
Net Change per Day1,464
Population Change Since Jan. 1481,656

Components of Population Change

One birth every 46 seconds
One death every 3.82 minutes
One emigrant every 90 minutes
Net gain of one person every 59 seconds

Malawi Population Clock

City
Population
Lilongwe646,750
Blantyre584,877
Mzuzu175,345
Zomba80,932
Kasungu42,555
Mangochi40,236
Karonga34,207
Salima30,052
Nkhotakota24,865
Liwonde22,469
showing: 10 rows

Malawi Area and Population Density

Malawi has a land area of almost 119,000 square kilometers, or 99th in the world, with an estimated population of 17.2 million. Malawi still has a fairly low population density of 129 people per square kilometer (86th in the world).

Largest Cities in Malawi

Malawi has a low urban population at only 16.45%, and there are just three cities in Malawi. The capital is Lilongwe (978,000 in 2014), while the largest city is Blantyre (1.9 million in 2014) -- the commercial capital -- and Mzuzu (1.7 million in the outskirts, 130,000 in the city).

Malawi Population Density Map

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Year
Population
Growth Rate
Density (km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
19553,240,3181.9%34.3790112
19603,621,0812.25%38.4190112
19654,089,0972.46%43.3790113
19704,625,1412.49%49.0687112
19755,280,9652.69%56.0184113
19806,267,3693.48%66.4882112
19857,625,0784%80.8878104
19909,539,6654.58%101.187289
199510,112,8161.17%107.267387
200011,229,3872.12%119.117084
200512,755,6482.58%135.306978
201014,718,4222.9%156.116772
201516,938,9422.85%179.676673
201717,881,1672.73%189.666572
201818,367,8832.72%194.826572
201918,867,3372.72%200.126472
202019,377,0612.7%205.536370
202220,405,3172.68%216.436268
202320,931,7512.65%222.026266
showing: 19 rows

Malawi Population by Year (Historical)

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Year
Population
Growth Rate
Density (km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
202320,931,7512.65%222.026266
202421,475,9622.62%227.796265
202522,033,9922.6%233.716165
203024,944,2432.51%264.586056
203527,975,1362.32%296.725952
204031,059,5442.11%329.445847
204534,126,1561.9%361.975941
205037,159,3001.72%394.145641
205540,111,5541.54%425.455639
206042,963,9171.38%455.715337
206545,653,3521.22%484.235232
207048,166,8131.08%510.895031
207550,473,0090.94%535.354828
208052,543,9160.81%557.324526
208554,400,0480.7%577.014425
209056,005,9980.58%594.044425
209557,377,6180.48%608.594423
showing: 17 rows

Malawi Population by Year (Projections)

Malawi Population Pyramid 2023

Malawi Median Age

16.8

Total

16.7

Male

16.9

Female

Malawi Population by Age

There are people over age 18 in Malawi.

Census Years

Year
Date
198721 September 1987
199821 September 1998
200828 June 2008
20182018
showing: 4 rows

Malawi Population Pyramid

Malawi Demographics

Malawi has several ethnic groups, including the Chewa, Nyanja, Yao, Tumbuka, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, and Ngonde. There are sizable populations of Europeans and Asians. The official language is Chichewa, spoken by 57% of the population although English, Chinyanja, Chiyao, and Chitumbuka are spoken by a large percentage of people. There are also several native languages, such as Malawian Lomwe, Kokola, Lambya, Ndali, and Nyakyusa-Ngonde.

Malawi Religion, Economy and Politics

The main religions are Christianity and Islam. There are no accurate estimates on the religious affiliation of Malawi's population, but it is estimated that 68% of the country is Christian while 25% is Muslim.

Malawi is one of the least developed countries in the world with an economy centered on agriculture and a population that is mostly rural. The government depends a great deal of outside aid. There is a low life expectancy in Malawi with a high infant mortality rate and a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS (12% of the population).

Malawi Population History

What we now know as Malawi was formed by various indigenous tribes to create what was then the "Kingdom of Maravi" in the 1500s. In the late 1800s, a Scottish explorer identified the land as something he wanted, developed a trade route to the country via a river, and the country came under British rule before the turn of the 20th century. The indigenous people revolted against the British and formed their own Congress by the 1950s. By the 60s, Malawi declared independence with a leader named Banda, who declared himself president for life.

Between 2002-2005, drought caused widespread death of crops that affected both the economy, food, and water supply. However, this didn't have a dramatic effect on the rate of population growth, which has stayed around 3% annually since 2000.

Malawi Population Rank 2023
Area (km²)
118,484
2023 Growth Rate
Capital
GDP (IMF)
$11.85
GDP (UN)
$5.32 Bn

Malawi - General Info

Sources