Malawi: Facts & Stats

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Also Known As	Nyasaland • Republic of Malawi
Head Of State And Government	President: Lazarus Chakwera
Capital	Lilongwe³
Population	(2024 est.) 20,271,000
Form Of Government	multiparty republic with one legislative house (National Assembly [193])
Official Language	See footnote 1.
Official Religion	none
Official Name	Republic of Malawi^{1, 2}
Total Area (Sq Km)	118,760
Total Area (Sq Mi)	45,853
Monetary Unit	Malawian kwacha (MK)
Population Rank	(2023) 62
Population Projection 2030	29,275,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2024) 442.1
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2024) 170.7
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2018) 15.8% • Rural: (2018) 84.2%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2021) 59.7 years • Female: (2021) 65.3 years
Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate	Male: (2021) 71% • Female: (2021) 64%
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2023) 13,395
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2023) 640
¹No official language is stated in the constitution. English is the official language of instruction.²Dziko la Malaŵi in Chewa, the principal national language.³Judiciary meets in Blantyre.