MWI · MW · United Nations WPP 2024 · 2026
Malawi
Malawi had a population of 22,785,535 people in 2026, ranking 62 of 237 countries and areas. Explore its age pyramid, trends and demographic indicators.
Source: United Nations World Population Prospects 2024, medium variant.
- Total population
- 22,785,535 people 2026 · Projection
- Rank
- #62/ 237 Africa #21 / 58
- Share of world population
- 0.27% 2026
- Density
- 241.0 people/km² 2026
- Median age
- 18.4 years
- Life expectancy
- 67.92 years
Country or area overview
Malawi is in Africa. In 2026, its population was 22,785,535 people, about 0.27% of the world total. It ranks #62 of 237 countries and areas worldwide. The population was 2,950,300 people in 1950 and is projected to reach 59,141,258 people in 2100. The annual population growth rate in 2026 is 2.53%. The median age is 18.4. 39.6% of the population is under 15 and 2.6% is 65 or older. Life expectancy is 67.92 and the total fertility rate is 3.45. Within Africa, it ranks #21 of 58 by population and #12 of 58 by population density. Data note This page uses the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium variant. Data for 1950–2023 are estimates; 2024 onward, including 2026, are projections. Values for 2100 are long-range projections.
Malawi map
Country outline and its location in the world.
World location
Boundaries: Natural Earth 1:50m.
Population history and projection
Population from 1950 to 2100. The dashed section shows the UN medium-variant projection from 2024 onward.
Age group · 2026
Population age pyramid
Male and female population by five-year age group. Move the year slider to compare 1950, today and the 2100 projection.
Age-group data
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 1,620,477 | 1,610,887 | 3,231,364 | 14.18% |
| 5–9 | 1,481,074 | 1,476,843 | 2,957,917 | 12.98% |
| 10–14 | 1,411,751 | 1,417,027 | 2,828,778 | 12.41% |
| 15–19 | 1,334,813 | 1,353,865 | 2,688,678 | 11.80% |
| 20–24 | 1,131,211 | 1,155,939 | 2,287,150 | 10.04% |
| 25–29 | 932,197 | 958,973 | 1,891,170 | 8.30% |
| 30–34 | 764,571 | 820,996 | 1,585,567 | 6.96% |
| 35–39 | 622,542 | 722,900 | 1,345,442 | 5.90% |
| 40–44 | 529,528 | 618,413 | 1,147,941 | 5.04% |
| 45–49 | 432,596 | 445,705 | 878,301 | 3.85% |
| 50–54 | 293,354 | 292,972 | 586,326 | 2.57% |
| 55–59 | 191,756 | 240,825 | 432,581 | 1.90% |
| 60–64 | 137,580 | 194,444 | 332,024 | 1.46% |
| 65–69 | 100,255 | 131,584 | 231,839 | 1.02% |
| 70–74 | 64,898 | 85,919 | 150,817 | 0.66% |
| 75–79 | 41,373 | 64,449 | 105,822 | 0.46% |
| 80–84 | 23,363 | 42,108 | 65,471 | 0.29% |
| 85–89 | 8,941 | 19,140 | 28,081 | 0.12% |
| 90–94 | 2,295 | 6,037 | 8,332 | 0.04% |
| 95–99 | 401 | 1,294 | 1,695 | 0.01% |
| 100+ | 47 | 190 | 237 | 0.00% |
Demographic indicators
UN WPP 2024 indicators for 2026.
| Indicator | 2026 | Projection for 2100 | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 22,785,535 people | 59,141,258 people | people |
| Male population | 11,125,023 people | 28,819,859 people | people |
| Female population | 11,660,512 people | 30,321,399 people | people |
| Population density | 241.0 people/km² | 625.5 people/km² | people/km² |
| Sex ratio | 95.4 | 95.0 | males per 100 females |
| Median age | 18.4 | 36.5 | years |
| Natural change | 574,127 | 224,240 | people |
| Natural change rate | 25.20 ‰ | 3.79 ‰ | ‰ |
| Population change | 575,472 | 250,426 | people |
| Population growth rate | 2.53% | 0.42% | % |
| Population doubling time | 27.4 | — | years |
| Births | 692,256 people | 771,567 people | people |
| Births to women aged 15–19 | 151,367 | 74,286 | people |
| Birth rate | 30.38 ‰ | 13.05 ‰ | ‰ |
| Total fertility rate | 3.45 | 1.95 | children per woman |
| Net reproduction rate | 1.622 | 0.951 | |
| Mean age at childbearing | 27.49 | 28.20 | years |
| Sex ratio at birth | 101.4 | 101.5 | males per 100 females |
| Deaths | 118,129 people | 547,327 people | people |
| Male deaths | 65,456 | 277,372 | people |
| Female deaths | 52,673 | 269,955 | people |
| Death rate | 5.18 ‰ | 9.26 ‰ | ‰ |
| Life expectancy at birth | 67.92 | 78.61 | years |
| Male life expectancy at birth | 64.62 | 76.09 | years |
| Female life expectancy at birth | 71.14 | 81.06 | years |
| Life expectancy at age 15 | 55.93 | 64.63 | years |
| Life expectancy at age 65 | 14.17 | 18.88 | years |
| Life expectancy at age 80 | 6.52 | 8.87 | years |
| Infant deaths | 19,077 | 6,399 | people |
| Infant mortality rate | 27.59 ‰ | 8.29 ‰ | ‰ |
| Survivors to age 1 | 675,461 | 766,019 | people |
| Deaths under age 5 | 25,154 | 8,263 | people |
| Under-5 mortality rate | 36.70 ‰ | 10.69 ‰ | ‰ |
| Net migration | 1,348 | 26,182 | people |
| Net migration rate | 0.06 ‰ | 0.44 ‰ | ‰ |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the population of Malawi?
- In 2026, Malawi had a population of 22,785,535 people. It ranks #62 of 237 countries and areas worldwide.
- How has the population of Malawi changed?
- The population was 2,950,300 people in 1950 and is projected to reach 59,141,258 people in 2100.
- What is the age structure of Malawi?
- The median age is 18.4. 39.6% of the population is under 15 and 2.6% is 65 or older.
- How does Malawi compare within Africa?
- By total population, Malawi ranks #21 of 58 in Africa and #62 of 237 worldwide.
Estimates cover 1950–2023; 2024 and later are UN medium-variant projections. Rankings use the latest available value for the selected year. The world total is the sum of all countries and areas in the dataset.