Malawi Population (LIVE)

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Malawi Population (1950 - 2024)
Yearly Population Growth Rate (%)
  • The current population of Malawi is 21,315,940 as of Monday, March 18, 2024, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data 1.
  • Malawi 2023 population is estimated at 20,931,751 people at mid year.
  • Malawi population is equivalent to 0.26% of the total world population.
  • Malawi ranks number 62 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population.
  • The population density in Malawi is 222 per Km2 (575 people per mi2).
  • The total land area is 94,280 Km2 (36,402 sq. miles)
  • 19.3 % of the population is urban (4,029,578 people in 2023)
  • The median age in Malawi is 17.2 years.
1. Updated on July 16, 2023 with the latest July 2023-July 2024 estimates from the United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects: The 2022 Revision. (Medium-fertility variant).

Population of Malawi (2024 and historical)

YearPopulationYearly %
Change
Yearly
Change
Migrants (net)Median AgeFertility RateDensity (P/Km²)Urban
Pop %
Urban PopulationCountry's Share of
World Pop
World PopulationMalawi
Global Rank
2024 21,475,962 2.60 % 544,211 -6,000 17.5 3.71 228 19.6 % 4,213,135 0.26 % 8,118,835,999 62
2023 20,931,751 2.58 % 526,434 -6,000 17.2 3.79 222 19.3 % 4,029,578 0.26 % 8,045,311,447 62
2022 20,405,317 2.59 % 515,575 -6,000 17.0 3.85 216 18.9 % 3,855,794 0.26 % 7,975,105,156 62
2020 19,377,061 2.70 % 509,724 -1,775 16.6 4.00 206 18.2 % 3,534,836 0.25 % 7,840,952,880 63
2015 16,938,942 2.85 % 444,104 -6,449 15.7 4.45 180 16.9 % 2,866,700 0.23 % 7,426,597,537 66
2010 14,718,422 2.90 % 392,555 -9,321 15.6 5.27 156 16.0 % 2,357,581 0.21 % 6,985,603,105 67
2005 12,755,648 2.58 % 305,252 -31,428 15.9 5.91 135 15.4 % 1,962,982 0.19 % 6,558,176,119 69
2000 11,229,387 2.12 % 223,314-29,032 16.0 6.04 119 14.8 % 1,662,050 0.18 % 6,148,898,975 70
1995 10,112,816 1.17 % 114,630 -66,368 15.7 6.42 107 13.0 % 1,314,278 0.18 % 5,743,219,454 73
1990 9,539,665 4.58 % 382,917 71,114 15.9 6.81 101 11.4 % 1,090,992 0.18 % 5,316,175,862 72
1985 7,625,078 4.00 % 271,542 70,875 16.0 7.29 81 9.6 % 732,861 0.16 % 4,861,730,613 78
1980 6,267,369 3.48 % 197,281 51,087 16.3 7.57 66 8.9 % 557,771 0.14 % 4,444,007,706 82
1975 5,280,965 2.69 % 131,165 5,145 16.5 7.40 56 7.7 % 404,986 0.13 % 4,069,437,231 84
1970 4,625,141 2.49 % 107,209 -2,149 17.1 7.32 49 6.0 % 278,646 0.13 % 3,695,390,336 87
1965 4,089,097 2.46 % 93,603 0 17.4 7.11 43 4.9 % 199,188 0.12 % 3,337,111,983 90
1960 3,621,081 2.25 % 76,153 0 17.2 7.03 38 4.4 % 158,848 0.12 % 3,019,233,434 90
1955 3,240,318 1.90 % 58,116 0 16.8 6.83 34 3.9 % 127,621 0.12 % 2,746,072,141 90
Source: Worldometer (www.Worldometers.info)
Elaboration of data by United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects: The 2022 Revision. (Medium-fertility variant).
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Malawi Population Forecast

-6,000
YearPopulationYearly %
Change
Yearly
Change
Migrants (net)Median AgeFertility RateDensity (P/Km²)Urban
Pop %
Urban PopulationCountry's Share of
World Pop
World PopulationMalawi
Global Rank
2025 22,033,992 2.60 % 531,386 -6,000 17.7 3.64 234 20.0 % 4,407,124 0.27 % 8,191,988,453 61
2030 24,944,243 2.51 % 582,050 -6,000 19.0 3.36 265 22.3 % 5,551,124 0.29 % 8,546,141,327 60
2035 27,975,136 2.32 % 606,179 -6,000 20.2 3.10 297 25.1 % 7,021,730 0.32 % 8,879,397,401 59
2040 31,059,544 2.11 % 616,882 -6,000 21.3 2.90 329 28.4 % 8,808,675 0.34 % 9,188,250,492 58
2045 34,126,156 1.90 % 613,322 -6,000 22.5 2.72 362 32.0 % 10,916,620 0.36 % 9,467,543,575 59
2050 37,159,300 1.72 % 606,629   23.8 2.57 394 36.0 % 13,360,225 0.38 % 9,709,491,761 56
Source: Worldometer (www.Worldometers.info)
Elaboration of data by United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects: The 2022 Revision. (Medium-fertility variant).

Malawi Demographics

Main Page: Demographics of Malawi
Life Expectancy
63.67 years
(life expectancy at birth, both sexes)
View by sex and historical chart
Infant Mortality
28.1
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
View historical chart
Deaths under age 5
38.7
(per 1,000 live births)
View historical chart

Main Cities by Population in Malawi

(includes boroughs, districts, urban agglomerations, etc.)

# CITY NAME POPULATION
1 Lilongwe 646,750
2 Blantyre 584,877
3 Mzuzu 175,345
4 Zomba 80,932
5 Kasungu 42,555
6 Mangochi 40,236
7 Karonga 34,207
8 Salima 30,052
9 Nkhotakota 24,865
10 Liwonde 22,469
11 Nsanje 21,774
12 Rumphi 20,727
13 Mzimba 19,308
14 Balaka 18,902
15 Mchinji 18,305
16 Mulanje 16,483
17 Dedza 15,608

See also

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Notes

The Malawi Population (Live) counter shows a continuously updated estimate of the current population of Malawi delivered by Worldometer's RTS algorithm, which processes data collected from the United Nations Population Division.

The Population of Malawi (1950 - 2023) chart plots the total population count as of July 1 of each year, from 1950 to 2023.

The Yearly Population Growth Rate chart plots the annual percentage changes in population registered on July 1 of each year, from 1951 to 2023. This value can differ from the Yearly % Change shown in the historical table, which shows the last year equivalent percentage change assuming homogeneous change in the preceding five year period.

Definitions

Year: as of July 1 of the year indicated.

Population: Overall total population (both sexes and all ages) in the country as of July 1 of the year indicated, as estimated by the United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects: The 2022 Revision. For forecasted years, the U.N. medium-fertility variant is used.


Yearly % Change: For 2023: percentage change in total population over the last year (from July 1, 2022 to June 30 2023). For all other years: latest year annual percentage change equivalent assuming homogeneous change in the preceding five year period, calculated through reverse compounding.

Yearly Change: For 2023: absolute change in total population (increase or decrease in number of people) over the last year (from July 1, 2022 to June 30 2023). For all other years: average annual numerical change over the preceding five year period.

Migrants (net): The average annual number of immigrants minus the number of emigrants over the preceding five year period (running from July 1 to June 30 of the initial and final years), or subsequent five year period (for 2016 data). A negative number means that there are more emigrants than immigrants.

Median Age: age that divides the population into two numerically equal groups: half of the people are older than the median age indicated and half are younger. This parameter provides an indication of age distribution.

Fertility Rate: (Total Fertility Rate, or TFR), it is expressed as children per woman. It is calculated as the average number of children an average woman will have during her reproductive period (15 to 49 years old) based on the current fertility rates of every age group in the country, and assuming she is not subject to mortality.

Density (P/Km²): (Population Density) Population per square Kilometer (Km²).

Urban Pop % : Urban population as a percentage of total population.

Urban Population: Population living in areas classified as urban according to the criteria used by each country.

Country's Share of World Pop: Total population in the country as a percentage of total World Population as of July 1 of the year indicated.

World Population: Total World Population as of July 1 of the year indicated.

Global Rank: Position held by Malawi in the list of all countries worldwide ranked by population (from the highest population to the lowest population) as of July 1 of the year indicated.