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COUNTRY PROFILE / MWI

Malawi

Malawi / MW

01 / BASIC INFORMATION

Malawi in numbers.

Area118,480 kmยฒWorld # 101 โ†’Population22.2MWorld # 60 โ†’Population density187.5 people/kmยฒWorld # 64 โ†’Life expectancy67.6 yearsWorld # 169 โ†’GDP per capitaUS$ 672World # 205 โ†’

02 / ALL RANKINGS

Malawi across 51 rankings.

Essentials

Area118,480 kmยฒWorld # 101 / 2023 โ†’Population22.2MWorld # 60 / 2025 โ†’Population density187.5 people/kmยฒWorld # 64 / Population 2025 ยท area 2023 โ†’Independence / founding reference year1,964World # 67 / CIA World Factbook 2025 archive โ†’

People & society

Population growth2.6%World # 23 / 2025 โ†’Total fertility rate3.6World # 41 / 2024 โ†’Birth rate31.1 per 1,000 peopleWorld # 26 / 2024 โ†’Death rate5.3 per 1,000 peopleWorld # 183 / 2024 โ†’Median age17.6 yearsWorld # 220 / 2023 โ†’Population aged 65+2.6%World # 205 / 2025 โ†’Population aged 0โ€“1440.1%World # 25 / 2025 โ†’Urban population17.6%World # 212 / 2025 โ†’Net migration-5.6KWorld # 137 / 2025 โ†’Net migration rate-0.3 per 1,000 peopleWorld # 103 / 2025 โ†’International migrant share0.9%World # 176 / 2024 โ†’

Health

Life expectancy67.6 yearsWorld # 169 / 2024 โ†’Healthy life expectancy54.7 yearsWorld # 159 / 2021 โ†’Physicians per 1,000 people0.1 per 1,000 peopleWorld # 191 / 2022 โ†’Smoking rate8.9%World # 140 / 2024 โ†’

Economy & work

GDP per capitaUS$ 672World # 205 / 2025 โ†’Nominal GDPUS$ 14.9BWorld # 149 / 2025 โ†’GDP per capita (PPP)US$ 1,899World # 196 / 2025 โ†’Real GDP growth1.9%World # 147 / 2025 โ†’Inflation28.4%World # 10 / 2025 โ†’Unemployment5.1%World # 98 / 2025 โ†’Youth unemployment6.9%World # 144 / 2025 โ†’Average annual working hours1,596 hours/yearWorld # 109 / 2023 โ†’Average sleep timeNo dataNo rank โ†’Income inequality (Gini index)38.5World # 55 / 2019 โ†’

Education & science

Education spending (% of GDP)2.7%World # 157 / 2022 โ†’Researchers per million people25.2 per million peopleWorld # 127 / 2019 โ†’R&D spending (% of GDP)0.2%World # 110 / 2019 โ†’Patent applications per million people0.1 per million peopleWorld # 141 / 2016 โ†’

Food & agriculture

Calorie supply per person2,618 kcal/dayWorld # 147 / 2023 โ†’Meat supply per person28.2 kg/person/yearWorld # 136 / 2023 โ†’Rice production127K tWorld # 75 / 2024 โ†’Wheat production320.7 tWorld # 120 / 2024 โ†’Coffee production11.2K tWorld # 34 / 2024 โ†’Coffee consumption per personNo dataNo rank โ†’

Environment & digital

Forest area22.4%World # 127 / 2023 โ†’Electricity use per personNo dataNo rank โ†’COโ‚‚ emissions per person0.1 tWorld # 209 / 2024 โ†’Internet use19%World # 194 / 2024 โ†’Mobile subscriptions69.3 per 100 peopleWorld # 183 / 2024 โ†’

Safety & politics

Homicide rate1.8 per 100,000 peopleWorld # 112 / 2012 โ†’Road traffic death rate33.4 per 100,000 peopleWorld # 13 / 2019 โ†’Military spending (% of GDP)1%World # 112 / 2024 โ†’Women in parliament21.4%World # 119 / 2025 โ†’

Travel & culture

International tourist arrivals871KWorld # 107 / 2018 โ†’International tourism receiptsUS$ 35MWorld # 166 / 2020 โ†’World Heritage sites3 sitesWorld # 94 / 2026-07 โ†’

03 / CULTURE & INDUSTRY

Society, culture and industry.

Largest religious groupChristianity2018 / 77.3%Main languageEnglishMain functional languageLeading electricity sourceHydro2024Top export categoryPrepared food and beverages2023Most mapped OSM sportFootball and futsal382 facilities countedWriting directionLeft to rightEnglishLargest staple-food calorie sourceMaize2023Current currencyMalawi KwachaMWKDriving sideLeft-hand trafficSide of the road used by trafficCountry-name originPlaces and landformsLake Malawi