Demographics of Malawi
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Malawi, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Malawi derives its name from the Maravi, a Bantu people who came from the southern Congo about 600 years ago. On reaching the area north of Lake Malawi, the Maravi divided. One branch, the ancestors of the present-day Chewas, moved south to the west bank of the lake. The other, the ancestors of the Nyanjas, moved down the east bank to the southern part of the country.
By AD 1500, the two divisions of the tribe had established a kingdom stretching from north of the present-day city of Nkhotakota to the Zambezi River in the south, and from Lake Malawi in the east, to the Luangwa River in Zambia in the west.
Migrations and tribal conflicts precluded the formation of a cohesive Malawian society until the turn of the 20th century. In more recent years, ethnic and tribal distinctions have diminished. Regional distinctions and rivalries, however, persist. Despite some clear differences, no significant friction currently exists between tribal groups, and the concept of a Malawian nationality has begun to take hold. Predominantly a rural people, Malawians are generally conservative and traditionally nonviolent.
The Chewas constitute 90% of the population of the central region; the Nyanja tribe predominates in the south and the Tumbuka in the north. In addition, significant numbers of the Tongas live in the north; Ngonis—an offshoot of the Zulus who came from South Africa in the early 19th century—live in the lower northern and lower central regions; and the Yao, who are mostly Muslim, predominate in the Southern Region of the country and live in a wide band from Blantyre and Zomba north to Lake Malawi and east to the border with Mozambique. Bantus of other tribes came from Mozambique as refugees.
Population
According to the 2017 revision of the World Population Prospects[1] the total population was 18,091,575 in 2016, compared to only 2 881 000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 45.8%, 51.1% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 3.1% was 65 years or older.[2]
| Total population (x 1000) | Population aged 0–14 (%) | Population aged 15–64 (%) | Population aged 65+ (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2 881 | 45.7 | 51.2 | 3.1 |
| 1955 | 3 166 | 45.7 | 51.5 | 2.8 |
| 1960 | 3 525 | 45.9 | 51.6 | 2.6 |
| 1965 | 3 975 | 45.3 | 52.3 | 2.4 |
| 1970 | 4 531 | 46.3 | 51.4 | 2.3 |
| 1975 | 5 302 | 46.9 | 50.6 | 2.5 |
| 1980 | 6 240 | 47.1 | 50.3 | 2.6 |
| 1985 | 7 268 | 47.5 | 50.0 | 2.5 |
| 1990 | 9 381 | 45.9 | 51.4 | 2.7 |
| 1995 | 9 883 | 44.7 | 52.2 | 3.1 |
| 2000 | 11 229 | 45.8 | 51.1 | 3.1 |
| 2005 | 12 823 | 46.1 | 50.9 | 3.1 |
| 2010 | 14 901 | 45.8 | 51.1 | 3.1 |
Total and Percent Distribution of Population by Single Year of Age (Census 08.06.2008)
| Age | Population | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 13.077.160 | 100 |
| 0-4 | 2.370.011 | 18,12 |
| 0 | 503.385 | |
| 1 | 458.222 | |
| 2 | 458.515 | |
| 3 | 471.886 | |
| 4 | 478.003 | |
| 5-9 | 1.968.299 | 15,05 |
| 5 | 435.984 | |
| 6 | 383.178 | |
| 7 | 406.527 | |
| 8 | 410.644 | |
| 9 | 331.966 | |
| 10-14 | 1.670.391 | 12,77 |
| 10 | 366.467 | |
| 11 | 320.297 | |
| 12 | 347.324 | |
| 13 | 309.008 | |
| 14 | 327.295 | |
| 15-19 | 1.276.692 | 9,76 |
| 15 | 297.228 | |
| 16 | 261.776 | |
| 17 | 226.281 | |
| 18 | 268.654 | |
| 19 | 222.753 | |
| 20-24 | 1.240.329 | 9,48 |
| 20 | 271.768 | |
| 21 | 233.762 | |
| 22 | 256.800 | |
| 23 | 237.068 | |
| 24 | 240.931 | |
| 25-29 | 1.102.976 | 8,43 |
| 25 | 262.460 | |
| 26 | 223.390 | |
| 27 | 195.567 | |
| 28 | 248.158 | |
| 29 | 173.401 | |
| 30-34 | 827.547 | 6,33 |
| 30 | 228.287 | |
| 31 | 145.976 | |
| 32 | 169.408 | |
| 33 | 153.458 | |
| 34 | 130.418 | |
| 35-39 | 623.330 | 4,77 |
| 35 | 161.637 | |
| 36 | 133.831 | |
| 37 | 103.043 | |
| 38 | 136.658 | |
| 39 | 88.161 | |
| 40-44 | 441.231 | 3,37 |
| 40 | 137.398 | |
| 41 | 60.745 | |
| 42 | 80.390 | |
| 43 | 71.762 | |
| 44 | 90.936 | |
| 45-49 | 343.190 | 2,62 |
| 45 | 84.730 | |
| 46 | 66.011 | |
| 47 | 52.873 | |
| 48 | 87.664 | |
| 49 | 51.912 | |
| 50-54 | 269.634 | 2,06 |
| 50 | 92.552 | |
| 51 | 40.858 | |
| 52 | 50.768 | |
| 53 | 40.404 | |
| 54 | 45.052 | |
| 55-59 | 258.214 | 1,97 |
| 55 | 50.564 | |
| 56 | 54.671 | |
| 57 | 35.273 | |
| 58 | 66.723 | |
| 59 | 50.983 | |
| 60-64 | 184.679 | 1,41 |
| 60 | 59.660 | |
| 61 | 31.320 | |
| 62 | 31.801 | |
| 63 | 35.925 | |
| 64 | 25.973 | |
| 65-69 | 153.829 | 1,18 |
| 65 | 32.335 | |
| 66 | 31.181 | |
| 67 | 20.166 | |
| 68 | 45.388 | |
| 69 | 24.759 | |
| 70-74 | 106.020 | 0,81 |
| 70 | 35.722 | |
| 71 | 15.820 | |
| 72 | 20.837 | |
| 73 | 19.161 | |
| 74 | 14.480 | |
| 75-79 | 106.769 | 0,82 |
| 75 | 22.899 | |
| 76 | 26.920 | |
| 77 | 14.261 | |
| 78 | 29.436 | |
| 79 | 13.253 | |
| 80-84 | 55.970 | 0,43 |
| 80 | 20.108 | |
| 81 | 9.644 | |
| 82 | 10.823 | |
| 83 | 8.105 | |
| 84 | 7.290 | |
| 85-89 | 40.784 | 0,31 |
| 85 | 7.092 | |
| 86 | 11.706 | |
| 87 | 5.991 | |
| 88 | 11.873 | |
| 89 | 4.122 | |
| 90-94 | 18.739 | 0,14 |
| 90 | 6.779 | |
| 91 | 1.946 | |
| 92 | 2.184 | |
| 93 | 4.121 | |
| 94 | 3.709 | |
| 95+ | 18.526 | 0,14 |
| 95 | 2.535 | |
| 96 | 1.755 | |
| 97 | 1.854 | |
| 98+ | 12.382 | |
| Age group | Population | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| 0-14 | 6.008.701 | 45,95 |
| 15-64 | 6.567.822 | 50,22 |
| 65+ | 500.637 | 3,83 |
TFR - 5,2
Structure of the population (DHS 2010) (Males 55 159, Females 58 414 = 113 574) :
| Age Group | Male (%) | Female (%) | Total (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 17,3 | 17,0 | 17,2 |
| 5-9 | 17,4 | 16,8 | 17,1 |
| 10-14 | 15,1 | 14,3 | 14,7 |
| 15-19 | 10,6 | 9,0 | 9,8 |
| 20-24 | 7,6 | 8,1 | 7,8 |
| 25-29 | 6,8 | 7,7 | 7,3 |
| 30-34 | 5,7 | 5,8 | 5,8 |
| 35-39 | 4,8 | 4,4 | 4,6 |
| 40-44 | 3,1 | 3,1 | 3,1 |
| 45-49 | 2,6 | 2,7 | 2,7 |
| 50-54 | 2,2 | 2,7 | 2,5 |
| 55-59 | 1,8 | 2,1 | 1,9 |
| 60-64 | 1,7 | 1,9 | 1,8 |
| 65-69 | 1,1 | 1,4 | 1,2 |
| 70-74 | 0,8 | 1,1 | 1,0 |
| 75-79 | 0,6 | 0,9 | 0,8 |
| 80+ | 0,6 | 1,0 | 0,8 |
| Age group | Male (%) | Female (%) | Total (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-14 | 49,8 | 48,1 | 49,0 |
| 15-64 | 47,1 | 47,5 | 47,2 |
| 65+ | 3,1 | 4,4 | 3,8 |
Structure of the population (DHS 2014) (Males 6 855, Females 7 125 = 13 979) :
| Age Group | Male (%) | Female (%) | Total (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 16,8 | 16,4 | 16,6 |
| 5-9 | 16,1 | 16,3 | 16,2 |
| 10-14 | 15,7 | 16,0 | 15,9 |
| 15-19 | 8,5 | 6,9 | 7,7 |
| 20-24 | 7,2 | 8,5 | 7,8 |
| 25-29 | 6,1 | 7,3 | 6,7 |
| 30-34 | 6,4 | 6,9 | 6,7 |
| 35-39 | 5,3 | 5,0 | 5,2 |
| 40-44 | 3,8 | 3,3 | 3,5 |
| 45-49 | 3,2 | 1,9 | 2,5 |
| 50-54 | 2,6 | 3,7 | 3,1 |
| 55-59 | 1,5 | 1,9 | 1,7 |
| 60-64 | 1,3 | 1,8 | 1,5 |
| 65-69 | 1,0 | 1,2 | 1,1 |
| 70-74 | 0,9 | 0,8 | 0,8 |
| 75-79 | 0,7 | 0,8 | 0,7 |
| 80+ | 0,7 | 0,9 | 0,8 |
| Age group | Male (%) | Female (%) | Total (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-14 | 48,6 | 48,7 | 48,7 |
| 15-64 | 48,1 | 47,6 | 47,9 |
| 65+ | 3,3 | 3,7 | 3,4 |
UN population projections
Numbers are in thousands. UN medium variant projections [2]
- 2015 17,522
- 2020 20,677
- 2025 24,212
- 2030 28,173
- 2035 32,667
- 2040 37,797
- 2045 43,521
- 2050 49,719
Vital statistics
Registration of vital events is in Malawi not complete. The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates. [2]
| Period | Live births per year | Deaths per year | Natural change per year | CBR* | CDR* | NC* | TFR* | IMR* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950-1955 | 144 000 | 85 000 | 59 000 | 47.5 | 28.0 | 19.5 | 6.78 | 198 |
| 1955-1960 | 162 000 | 89 000 | 72 000 | 48.3 | 26.7 | 21.7 | 6.84 | 192 |
| 1960-1965 | 187 000 | 97 000 | 91 000 | 49.9 | 25.7 | 24.1 | 7.00 | 186 |
| 1965-1970 | 219 000 | 107 000 | 113 000 | 51.5 | 25.1 | 26.5 | 7.20 | 180 |
| 1970-1975 | 257 000 | 115 000 | 142 000 | 52.3 | 23.4 | 28.9 | 7.40 | 168 |
| 1975-1980 | 314 000 | 130 000 | 183 000 | 54.3 | 22.6 | 31.8 | 7.50 | 159 |
| 1980-1985 | 351 000 | 139 000 | 212 000 | 51.9 | 20.6 | 31.3 | 7.30 | 151 |
| 1985-1990 | 410 000 | 157 000 | 253 000 | 49.3 | 18.8 | 30.4 | 7.00 | 143 |
| 1990-1995 | 453 000 | 173 000 | 280 000 | 47.0 | 17.9 | 29.1 | 6.50 | 133 |
| 1995-2000 | 479 000 | 189 000 | 290 000 | 45.4 | 17.9 | 27.5 | 6.20 | 121 |
| 2000-2005 | 522 000 | 199 000 | 323 000 | 43.4 | 16.6 | 26.8 | 6.03 | 107 |
| 2005-2010 | 610 000 | 190 000 | 420 000 | 44.0 | 13.7 | 30.3 | 6.00 | 95 |
| * CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman) | ||||||||
Births and deaths [4]
| Year | Population | Live births | Deaths | Natural increase | Crude birth rate | Crude death rate | Rate of natural increase | TFR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008* | 13 077 160 | 516 629 | 135 865 | 380 764 | 37,9 | 10,0 | 27,9 | 5,2 |
- Data refer to the 12 months preceding the census in June
Fertility and births
Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):[5]
| Year | CBR (Total) | TFR (Total) | CBR (Urban) | TFR (Urban) | CBR (Rural) | TFR (Rural) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 52 | 7.58 | ||||
| 1992 | 42.9 | 6.73 (5.74) | 40.5 | 5.51 (4.38) | 43.2 | 6.88 (5.92) |
| 2000 | 45.5 | 6.3 (5.2) | 40.8 | 4.5 (3.5) | 46.2 | 6.7 (5.5) |
| 2004 | 42.4 | 6.0 (4.9) | 37.0 | 4.2 (3.3) | 43.4 | 6.4 (5.2) |
| 2010 | 39.2 | 5.7 (4.5) | 36.0 | 4.0 (3.3) | 39.8 | 6.1 (4.8) |
| 2015-16 | 32.2 | 4.4 (3.4) | 29.5 | 3.0 (2.5) | 32.6 | 4.7 (3.6) |
Fertility data as of 2016 (DHS Program):[6]
| Region | Total fertility rate | Percentage of women age 15-49 currently pregnant | Mean number of children ever born to women age 40-49 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern | 4.2 | 8.1 | 5.7 |
| Central | 4.4 | 7.8 | 6.2 |
| Southern | 4.6 | 7.3 | 5.7 |
| Total | 4.4 | 7.6 | 5.9 |
Life expectancy birth
| Period | Life expectancy in Years[7] |
|---|---|
| 1950–1955 | 36.26 |
| 1955–1960 |  |
| 1960–1965 | |
| 1965–1970 | |
| 1970–1975 | |
| 1975–1980 | |
| 1980–1985 | |
| 1985–1990 | |
| 1990–1995 | |
| 1995–2000 |  |
| 2000–2005 | |
| 2005–2010 | |
| 2010–2015 | |
CIA World Factbook demographic statistics
The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.
Population
- 19,196,246 (July 2017 est.)
Population growth rate
3.31% (2017 est.)
Birth rate
41 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)
Death rate
7.9 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (2017).There is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities.
Urbanization
urban population: 16.9% of total population (2018) rate of urbanization: 4.19% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
- under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
- total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Ratio of medical doctors to general population
1 Doctor/65,000 Malawians [8]
Life expectancy at birth
- total population: 61.7 years
- male: 59.7 years
- female: 63.8 years (2017 est.)
Nationality
- noun: Malawian(s)
- adjective: Malawian
Ethnic groups
Religions[9]
Languages[9]
- English (official)
- Chichewa (official) - 6,500,000
- Chiyao - 1,760,000
- Chitumbuka - 1,180,000
- Chilomwe - 2,290,000
- Chingoni - 37,500
- Chimakhuwa - 200,000
- Chisena - 468,000
- Chitonga - 271,000
- Chinyika - 5,000
- Chinyiha - 10,000
- Chindali - 70,000
- Chinyakyusa - 149,000
- Chilambya - 59,500
Literacy
- definition: age 15 and over can read and write
- total population: 62.1%
- male: 69.8%
- female: 55.2% (2015 est.)
See also
References
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Demographics of Malawi. |
- ↑ "World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision". ESA.UN.org (custom data acquired via website). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
- 1 2 3 Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision Archived May 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "2008 Population and Housing Census". Nsomalawi.mw. Retrieved 2017-08-04.
- ↑ "3. Live births, deaths, and infant deaths, latest available year (2002 - 2016)" (PDF). Unstats.un.org. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 2017-08-04.
- ↑ "MEASURE DHS: Demographic and Health Surveys". Microdata.worldbank.org. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ↑ "Malawi Demographic and Demographic and Health Survey : Health Survey 2015-16" (PDF). Dhsprogram.com. Retrieved 2017-08-04.
- ↑ "World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations". esa.un.org. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
- ↑ von Bothmer, Eleanore (2009). "Global lack of medical doctors". Development and Cooperation. Frankfurt am Main: Societäts-Verlag. 36 (3): 94. Archived from the original on 2009-07-26.
- 1 2 3 "Africa :: MALI". CIA The World Factbook. Retrieved 2017-08-04.
