Page last modified 16 August 2023
141) Malawi (formerly Nyasaland)
Community
Area 118,484 square kilometres, including 24,208 sq km Lake Malawi (land area 94,080 square kilometres).
Population,
750,000 (1900)
928,451 (1907)
1,690,000 (1940)
2,049,914 (1945)
2,810,000 (1950) +66.3%
3,660,000 (1960) 30.2%
4,700,000 (1970) +28.4%
6,250,000 (1980) +33.0%
9,405,000 (1990) +50.5%
11,150,000 (2000) +18.5%
14,540,000 (2010) +30.4%
19,130,000 (2020) +31.6%
Ethnicity, %
|
|
White |
Asian |
African |
|
1945 |
0.9 |
|
|
|
1951 |
0.2 |
0.2 |
|
|
1960 |
0.2 |
0.3 |
99.5 |
Religion, %
|
|
Animist |
Christian All |
Christian Protestant |
Christian R C |
Muslim Sunni |
|
1900 |
95.2 |
1.8 |
1.1 |
0.1 |
3.0 |
|
1970 |
24.7 |
59.0 |
29.2 |
25.0 |
16.0 |
|
1980 |
53.0 |
35.0 |
|
|
12.0 |
|
1990 |
20.0 |
|
34.0 |
28.0 |
16.0 |
|
2009 |
|
|
|
|
12.8 |
Birth and death rates Below replacement rate = 2.1
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1945 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.8 |
|
1952 |
|
52.0 (+21.0) |
212.0 |
31.0 |
45.7 |
3.2 |
1.2 |
|
1962 |
7.0 |
55.0 (+28.5) |
200.0 |
26.5 |
44.8 |
3.1 |
4.6 |
|
1972 |
7.4 |
57.0 (+33.1) |
195.0 |
23.9 |
46.2 |
2.9 |
6.7 |
|
1980 |
7.6 |
53.0 (+32.0) |
149.0 |
21.0 |
47.2 |
2.8 |
9.1 |
|
1990 |
6.9 |
48.0 (+29.4) |
136.6 |
18.6 |
45.7 |
3.1 |
11.6 |
|
2000 |
6.1 |
44.0 (+28.5) |
103.4 |
16.5 |
46.9 |
3.1 |
14.6 |
|
2010 |
5.3 |
40.3 (+30.5) |
57.4 |
9.8 |
46.2 |
2.7 |
15.5 |
|
2015 |
4.5 |
37.1 (+29.6) |
40.9 |
7.5 |
44.7 |
2.6 |
16.3 |
|
2016 |
|
|
38.9 |
|
44.3 |
|
16.5 |
|
2017 |
4.3 |
34.6 (+27.5) |
36.8 |
7.1 |
|
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
35.5 |
|
43.9 |
2.6 |
16.9 |
Life expectancy,
36.2 (1952); 36.0 (M), 37.0 (F)
37.8 (1960); 37.2 (M), 38.3 (F)
40.5 (1970); 39.8 (M), 41.2 (F)
44.7 (1980); 43.8 (M), 45.7(F)
46.5 (1990); 44.6 (M), 48.5 (F)
46.4 (2000); 44.7 (M), 48.2 (F)
57.2 (2010); 55.1 (M), 59.3 (F)
64.3 (2020); 61.2 (M), 67.5 (F)
Population of principal cities, 1,000s
|
|
Blantyre |
LILONGWE1 |
Mzuzu |
Zomba |
|
1946 |
4 |
|
|
5 |
|
1949 |
7 |
|
|
|
|
1966 |
109 |
19 |
8 |
19 |
|
1970 |
174 |
|
|
|
|
1977 |
219 |
99 |
16 |
24 |
|
1985 |
355 |
187 |
83 |
53 |
|
1990 |
450 |
240 |
|
|
|
2008 |
661 |
669 |
175 |
101 |
|
2010 |
856 |
821 |
|
|
|
2015 |
1,069 |
1,077 |
|
|
1Lilongwe was designated the capital city in 1975, replacing Zomba.
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values)
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1960 |
163 |
0.03 |
45 |
1.50 |
|
1965 |
230 |
0.03 |
56 |
1.46 |
|
1970 |
290 |
0.03 |
63 |
1.20 |
|
1975 |
700 |
0.04 |
116 |
1.48 |
|
1980 |
1,240 |
0.04 |
205 |
1.63 |
|
1985 |
1,130 |
0.03 |
160 |
0.88 |
|
1990 |
1,730 |
0.03 |
209 |
0.87 |
|
1995 |
1,430 |
0.02 |
155 |
0.52 |
|
2000 |
1,784 |
0.02 |
166 |
0.46 |
|
2005 |
3,655 |
0.03 |
280 |
0.63 |
|
2010 |
6,960 |
0.05 |
460 |
0.95 |
|
2015 |
6,373 |
0.04 |
363 |
0.65 |
|
2016 |
5,442 |
0.03 |
301 |
0.52 |
GDP by primary sector
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry % GDP |
Industry % employed |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1960 |
|
92.0 |
|
3.0 |
|
5.0 |
|
1980 |
37.0 |
86.0 |
10.2 |
9.2 |
53.0 |
4.0 |
|
1990 |
37.0 |
87.0 |
18.0 |
5.0 |
45.0 |
7.0 |
|
2000 |
30.0 |
86.0 |
14.9 |
|
48.0 |
|
|
2010 |
30.3 |
90.0 |
16.3 |
|
53.4 |
|
|
2013 |
|
64.1 |
|
6.7 |
|
29.2 |
|
2016 |
28.3 |
|
16.0 |
|
55.8 |
|
Communications
Language, Official; Chichewa and English
Chichewa,
50.2% (1980)
58.0% (2000)
Literacy
25.0% (1980)
49.9% (1985); 64.3% (M), 37.2% (F)
56.4% (1995); 71.9% (M), 41.8% (F)
61.0% (2000); 75.0% (M), 47.6% (F)
71.8% (2010); 79.2% (M), 64.6% (F)
Physical communications � roads
|
|
Roads (km) |
Surfaced (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
|
1951 |
7,672 |
|
|
|
|
|
1961 |
|
|
|
7,000 |
5,700 |
|
1964 |
|
|
14,800 |
|
|
|
1976 |
|
|
29,085 |
10,222 |
10,642 |
|
1977 |
|
|
|
11,500 |
|
|
1980 |
10,775 |
2,364 |
|
|
|
|
1985 |
12,192 |
2,500 |
30,000 |
15,600 |
12,800 |
|
1997 |
16,451 |
3,125 |
|
|
|
|
2002 |
|
7,440 |
|
16,300 |
19,100 |
|
2005 |
|
|
69,000 |
|
|
|
2010 |
|
|
130,000 |
|
|
|
2012 |
|
|
183,718 |
82,089 |
|
|
2015 |
|
|
250,000 |
|
|
Railways; First railway opened 1907.
Length, kilometres
182 (1910)
208 (1920)
208 (1930)
465 (1940)
465 (1950)
465 (1962)
450 (1969)
789 (1976)
789 (1985)
797 (1995)
797 (2008)
767 (2014)
Electronic communications, �TV broadcasting began 1996
|
|
Telephones (landlines) |
Mobile Telephones |
Radios |
Televisions |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1944 |
400 |
|
600 |
|
|
|
|
1961 |
|
|
12,000 |
|
|
|
|
1976 |
22,600 |
|
130,000 |
|
|
|
|
1980 |
28,777 |
|
260,000 |
|
|
|
|
1985 |
|
|
1,000,000 |
|
|
|
|
1995 |
55,500 |
400 |
3,200,000 |
|
|
|
|
1998 |
|
|
|
|
8,000 |
400 |
|
2000 |
73,100 |
|
5,400,000 |
|
12,000 |
15,000 |
|
2001 |
|
|
|
40,000 |
|
|
|
2002 |
|
86,000 |
|
|
|
27,000 |
|
2004 |
|
|
|
135,000 |
|
|
|
2005 |
102,700 |
429,300 |
|
|
25,100 |
52,500 |
|
2010 |
180,000 |
3,038,000 |
|
|
|
716,400 |
|
2012 |
227,300 |
7,178,400 |
|
|
|
1,785,000 |
Tourism: Visitors to Malawi,
34,000 (1972)
28,400 (1974)
43,000 (1977)
41,145 (1985)
130,000 (1990)
192,000 (1995)
228,000 (2000)
437,718 (2005)
746,000 (2010)
805,000 (2015)