Population, total in Malawi
Malawi: Population, total was 22.22 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
22.22 million
Change on year
up 2.6%
World rank
60th
of 218 countries
All-time high
22.22 million
in 2025
All-time low
3.63 million
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population, total in Malawi, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for population, total in Malawi is 22.22 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.6% on the previous year and up 30.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population, total in Malawi peaked at 22.22 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 3.63 million, in 1960.
That places Malawi 60th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Population, total in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 3.63 million | — |
| 1961 | 3.72 million | +2.4% |
| 1962 | 3.81 million | +2.4% |
| 1963 | 3.90 million | +2.5% |
| 1964 | 4.00 million | +2.5% |
| 1965 | 4.10 million | +2.5% |
| 1966 | 4.20 million | +2.5% |
| 1967 | 4.30 million | +2.5% |
| 1968 | 4.41 million | +2.5% |
| 1969 | 4.52 million | +2.5% |
| 1970 | 4.63 million | +2.5% |
| 1971 | 4.75 million | +2.5% |
| 1972 | 4.87 million | +2.6% |
| 1973 | 5.00 million | +2.7% |
| 1974 | 5.14 million | +2.7% |
| 1975 | 5.29 million | +2.8% |
| 1976 | 5.44 million | +3.0% |
| 1977 | 5.61 million | +3.2% |
| 1978 | 5.81 million | +3.5% |
| 1979 | 6.03 million | +3.8% |
| 1980 | 6.27 million | +3.9% |
| 1981 | 6.52 million | +4.0% |
| 1982 | 6.78 million | +4.0% |
| 1983 | 7.05 million | +4.0% |
| 1984 | 7.33 million | +4.0% |
| 1985 | 7.62 million | +3.9% |
| 1986 | 7.91 million | +3.8% |
| 1987 | 8.29 million | +4.9% |
| 1988 | 8.75 million | +5.5% |
| 1989 | 9.18 million | +4.8% |
| 1990 | 9.55 million | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 9.84 million | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 10.14 million | +3.0% |
| 1993 | 10.28 million | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 10.16 million | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 10.15 million | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 10.35 million | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 10.56 million | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 10.79 million | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 11.05 million | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 11.32 million | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 11.59 million | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 11.88 million | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 12.18 million | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 12.50 million | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 12.84 million | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 13.20 million | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 13.58 million | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 13.98 million | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 14.40 million | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 14.83 million | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 15.27 million | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 15.71 million | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 16.16 million | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 16.62 million | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 17.09 million | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 17.56 million | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 18.04 million | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 18.53 million | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 19.03 million | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 19.53 million | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 20.05 million | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 20.57 million | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 21.10 million | +2.6% |
| 2024 | 21.66 million | +2.6% |
| 2025 | 22.22 million | +2.6% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 22.22 million is below the median for low income countries, which is 24.07 million, 92% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 22.22 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.96 million, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.06 million | 3.63 million | 4.52 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.26 million | 4.63 million | 6.03 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.57 million | 6.27 million | 9.18 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.29 million | 9.55 million | 11.05 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.75 million | 11.32 million | 14.40 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.88 million | 14.83 million | 19.03 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.85 million | 19.53 million | 22.22 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More climate change data for Malawi
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 415.04 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,106 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,605 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,501 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 6.06 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 89.31 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 3,185 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,819 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 366.56 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 10.64 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population, total in Malawi?
- Population, total in Malawi was 22.22 million in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population, total recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 22.22 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population, total recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.63 million in 1960.
- How does Malawi rank for population, total?
- Malawi ranks 60th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population, total rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.