Rank #115 by World Population
🇲🇼Malawi
Malawi has a population of 21,104,482, ranking #115 in the world. The capital is Lilongwe. Located in Sub-Saharan Africa .
World Bank: Low income
21,104,482
Population
#115
World Rank
67.4
Life Expectancy
$633
GDP Per Capita
Malawi, #115 by world population
Malawi Population History (1960-2024)
The country of Malawi had a population of 3,628,134 in 1960 and 21,655,286 in 2024, a 6.0× growth over 64 years. The peak was 21,655,286 in 2024. Average annual growth rate: 2.84%.
21,655,286
Population (2024)
3,628,134
Population (1960)
21,655,286
Peak (2024)
2.84%
Avg Annual Growth
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 3,628,134 |
| 1961 | 3,715,534 |
| 1962 | 3,806,307 |
| 1963 | 3,900,506 |
| 1964 | 3,997,305 |
| 1965 | 4,096,157 |
| 1966 | 4,197,926 |
| 1967 | 4,303,012 |
| 1968 | 4,411,054 |
| 1969 | 4,521,184 |
| 1970 | 4,633,944 |
| 1971 | 4,751,434 |
| 1972 | 4,874,475 |
| 1973 | 5,003,938 |
| 1974 | 5,141,337 |
| 1975 | 5,287,367 |
| 1976 | 5,443,384 |
| 1977 | 5,614,983 |
| 1978 | 5,810,132 |
| 1979 | 6,028,749 |
| 1980 | 6,265,529 |
| 1981 | 6,516,454 |
| 1982 | 6,778,879 |
| 1983 | 7,051,709 |
| 1984 | 7,332,810 |
| 1985 | 7,620,508 |
| 1986 | 7,906,480 |
| 1987 | 8,293,174 |
| 1988 | 8,753,262 |
| 1989 | 9,176,220 |
| 1990 | 9,545,852 |
| 1991 | 9,844,227 |
| 1992 | 10,135,079 |
| 1993 | 10,284,024 |
| 1994 | 10,164,894 |
| 1995 | 10,150,117 |
| 1996 | 10,352,228 |
| 1997 | 10,562,035 |
| 1998 | 10,792,876 |
| 1999 | 11,047,804 |
| 2000 | 11,315,942 |
| 2001 | 11,593,058 |
| 2002 | 11,880,440 |
| 2003 | 12,181,574 |
| 2004 | 12,500,737 |
| 2005 | 12,840,031 |
| 2006 | 13,198,701 |
| 2007 | 13,576,343 |
| 2008 | 13,976,417 |
| 2009 | 14,395,788 |
| 2010 | 14,826,463 |
| 2011 | 15,265,022 |
| 2012 | 15,709,577 |
| 2013 | 16,161,816 |
| 2014 | 16,621,538 |
| 2015 | 17,085,587 |
| 2016 | 17,557,739 |
| 2017 | 18,039,715 |
| 2018 | 18,528,081 |
| 2019 | 19,025,752 |
| 2020 | 19,533,888 |
| 2021 | 20,047,258 |
| 2022 | 20,568,728 |
| 2023 | 21,104,482 |
| 2024 | 21,655,286 |
Demographics
| Population | 21,104,482 |
| Population Growth Rate | 2.57% |
| Urban Population | 17.0% |
| Fertility Rate | 3.65 births/woman |
| Life Expectancy | 67.4 years |
| Infant Mortality Rate | 38.4 per 1,000 |
| Literacy Rate | 70.2% |
Economy & Trade
$633
GDP Per Capita
5.0%
Unemployment Rate
Low income
Income Level
38.5
Gini Index (inequality)
42.4%
Trade (% of GDP)
Health & Education
6.5%
Health Expenditure (% GDP)
0.05
Physicians per 1,000
70.2%
Literacy Rate
38.4
Infant Mortality (per 1,000)
Development & Connectivity
15.6%
Electricity Access
16.8%
Internet Users
60
Mobile Subs per 100
223.8
People per km2
-5,811
Net Migration
Environment
22.4%
Forest Area
Other Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa
Malawi in global context
Malawi is one of 212 countries tracked. See how it ranks globally, regional shares of world population, and projections to 2050 / 2100.
World Population 2026: Top 10 Countries, Regions & Trends →Other related entities
Country rankings
Frequently Asked Questions
Malawi has a population of 21,104,482, ranking #115 in the world. The annual population growth rate is 2.57%.
Life expectancy in Malawi is 67.4 years. The infant mortality rate is 38.4 per 1,000 live births.
Malawi's GDP per capita is $633. It is classified as a low income country by the World Bank.
17.0% of Malawi's population lives in urban areas. The overall population density is 223.8 people per square kilometer.
The adult literacy rate in Malawi is 70.2%.
International data from the World Bank Open Data API. Population figures are latest available estimates. GDP per capita in current US dollars.
For this entity, the underlying data on this page comes from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files. The breakdown above is the federal record; the paragraphs below add the per-entity context that makes the headline numbers usable for a real decision rather than just a data lookup.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. states, metros, cities, and ZIPs. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, 2026.