PopulationTracker

Malawi population

Current population of Malawi

22,843,210

Live estimate, extrapolated from the latest official figures

Births today
394
Deaths today
67
Change today (UTC)
+323
World rank
61st of 218
0.27% of world population
Population
22,216,120
2025 estimate
Annual growth
+2.56%
2025
Density
224 /km²
2023
Land area
94,280 km²
Urban population
18%
2025
Median age
18.1 yrs
2025 (UN WPP)
Fertility rate
3.59
births per woman, 2024
Life expectancy
67.6 yrs
2024
Net migration
−5,628
2025
Capital
Lilongwe
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa

Population of Malawi: overview

Malawi has a population of 22,216,120 according to the latest official estimates (2025), the 61st largest in the world. Malawi is part of the Sub-Saharan Africa region and its capital is Lilongwe.

The population is growing rapidly, at 2.56% per year — among the fastest rates recorded anywhere. In absolute terms that meant roughly 560,834 additional people over the past year.

Population density is relatively high at about 224 people per km², spread across 94,280 km² of land. It is one of the least urbanized countries in the world — just 18% of people live in cities.

With a median age of just 18.1 years, Malawi has one of the youngest populations in the world. The fertility rate of 3.59 children per woman sits above the replacement level of 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years (2024).

The UN projects strong growth ahead: 37.36 million people by 2050, about 68% more than today. The 2030 projection is 25,160,287.

Malawi population, 1960–2025 and projections

07.5M15M22.5M30M37.5M19601980200020202040projected2025: 22.22M1960: 3,628,1341961: 3,715,5341962: 3,806,3071963: 3,900,5061964: 3,997,3051965: 4,096,1571966: 4,197,9261967: 4,303,0121968: 4,411,0541969: 4,521,1841970: 4,633,9441971: 4,751,4341972: 4,874,4751973: 5,003,9381974: 5,141,3371975: 5,287,3671976: 5,443,3841977: 5,614,9831978: 5,810,1321979: 6,028,7491980: 6,265,5291981: 6,516,4541982: 6,778,8791983: 7,051,7091984: 7,332,8101985: 7,620,5081986: 7,906,4801987: 8,293,1741988: 8,753,2621989: 9,176,2201990: 9,545,8521991: 9,844,2271992: 10,135,0791993: 10,284,0241994: 10,164,8941995: 10,150,1171996: 10,352,2281997: 10,562,0351998: 10,792,8761999: 11,047,8042000: 11,315,9422001: 11,593,0582002: 11,880,4402003: 12,181,5742004: 12,500,7372005: 12,840,0312006: 13,198,7012007: 13,576,3432008: 13,976,4172009: 14,395,7882010: 14,826,4632011: 15,265,0222012: 15,709,5772013: 16,161,8162014: 16,621,5382015: 17,085,5872016: 17,557,7392017: 18,039,7152018: 18,528,0812019: 19,025,7522020: 19,533,8882021: 20,047,2582022: 20,568,7282023: 21,104,4822024: 21,655,2862025: 22,216,1202030: 25,160,2872050: 37,361,683
Population of Malawi by year
YearPopulationGrowth rateAnnual change
202522,216,120+2.56%+560,834
202421,655,286+2.58%+550,804
202321,104,482+2.57%+535,754
202220,568,728+2.57%+521,470
202120,047,258+2.59%+513,370
202019,533,888+2.64%+508,136
201919,025,752+2.65%+497,671
201818,528,081+2.67%+488,366
201718,039,715+2.71%+481,976
201617,557,739+2.73%+472,152
201517,085,587+2.75%+464,049
201416,621,538+2.80%+459,722
201014,826,463+2.95%+430,675
200512,840,031+2.68%+339,294
200011,315,942+2.40%+268,138
199510,150,117−0.15%−14,777
19909,545,852+3.95%+369,632
19857,620,508+3.85%+287,698
19806,265,529+3.85%+236,780
19755,287,367+2.80%+146,030
19704,633,944+2.46%+112,760
19654,096,157+2.44%+98,852
19603,628,134––

Recent years annually, earlier years at five-year steps. Annual change compares against the immediately preceding year.

Malawi population forecast

United Nations World Population Prospects 2024, medium variant.

Projected population of Malawi
YearProjected populationvs today
203025,160,287+13.3%
205037,361,683+68.2%

Malawi population pyramid (2025)

Age and sex structure from UN World Population Prospects 2024: 40.1% of Malawi's population is under 15, 57.3% is of working age (15–64), and 2.6% is 65 or older. Hover any bar for the group's size.

MaleFemale
0%2%2%4%4%6%6%8%8%0-4 male: 1,594,784 (7.2%)0-4 female: 1,585,712 (7.1%)0-45-9 male: 1,459,664 (6.6%)5-9 female: 1,456,181 (6.6%)10-14 male: 1,405,288 (6.3%)10-14 female: 1,412,917 (6.4%)10-1415-19 male: 1,307,932 (5.9%)15-19 female: 1,328,409 (6.0%)20-24 male: 1,088,128 (4.9%)20-24 female: 1,111,683 (5.0%)20-2425-29 male: 899,764 (4.1%)25-29 female: 928,429 (4.2%)30-34 male: 736,418 (3.3%)30-34 female: 800,857 (3.6%)30-3435-39 male: 601,718 (2.7%)35-39 female: 705,759 (3.2%)40-44 male: 519,175 (2.3%)40-44 female: 593,646 (2.7%)40-4445-49 male: 408,103 (1.8%)45-49 female: 408,476 (1.8%)50-54 male: 272,420 (1.2%)50-54 female: 279,034 (1.3%)50-5455-59 male: 181,147 (0.8%)55-59 female: 236,082 (1.1%)60-64 male: 133,766 (0.6%)60-64 female: 185,544 (0.8%)60-6465-69 male: 96,606 (0.4%)65-69 female: 123,445 (0.6%)70-74 male: 62,886 (0.3%)70-74 female: 83,410 (0.4%)70-7475-79 male: 41,844 (0.2%)75-79 female: 65,651 (0.3%)80-84 male: 22,859 (0.1%)80-84 female: 40,959 (0.2%)80-8485-89 male: 8,749 (0.0%)85-89 female: 18,617 (0.1%)90-94 male: 2,247 (0.0%)90-94 female: 5,877 (0.0%)90-9495-99 male: 401 (0.0%)95-99 female: 1,286 (0.0%)100+ male: 50 (0.0%)100+ female: 196 (0.0%)100+

Malawi population FAQ

What is the population of Malawi in 2026?

Malawi's population is estimated at about 22.84 million in 2026, extrapolated from the latest official figure of 22,216,120 (2025). Malawi ranks 61st in the world by population.

Is the population of Malawi growing or shrinking?

Malawi's population is growing at about 2.56% per year, an increase of roughly 560,834 people over the past year.

How densely populated is Malawi?

Malawi has about 224 people per square kilometre across a land area of 94,280 km².

What share of the world's population lives in Malawi?

Malawi is home to about 0.27% of the world's population.

What is Malawi's projected population in 2050?

United Nations medium-variant projections put Malawi's population at 37,361,683 in 2050, passing through 25,160,287 in 2030.

What is the median age in Malawi?

The median age in Malawi is 18.1 years (2025 estimate) — half the population is younger and half older than that.

Sources: World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0); median age and projections from UN World Population Prospects 2024. Live figures are estimates extrapolated from the latest official data — see methodology.