Annual population growth in Malawi
Malawi: Annual population growth was 535,749 in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
535,749
Change on year
up 2.7%
World rank
39th
of 236 countries
All-time high
535,749
in 2023
All-time low
-119,128
in 1994
Years of data
73
1951–2023
Annual population growth in Malawi, 1951–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 535,749 for annual population growth in 2023. That is the highest value across all 73 years on record.
The figure is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 18.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual population growth in Malawi peaked at 535,749 in 2023 and was at its lowest, -119,128, in 1994.
Malawi ranks 39th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual population growth in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 52,587 | — |
| 1952 | 56,496 | +7.4% |
| 1953 | 59,860 | +6.0% |
| 1954 | 62,297 | +4.1% |
| 1955 | 65,004 | +4.3% |
| 1956 | 68,756 | +5.8% |
| 1957 | 72,446 | +5.4% |
| 1958 | 76,202 | +5.2% |
| 1959 | 80,220 | +5.3% |
| 1960 | 83,969 | +4.7% |
| 1961 | 87,407 | +4.1% |
| 1962 | 90,767 | +3.8% |
| 1963 | 94,203 | +3.8% |
| 1964 | 96,796 | +2.8% |
| 1965 | 98,849 | +2.1% |
| 1966 | 101,771 | +3.0% |
| 1967 | 105,089 | +3.3% |
| 1968 | 108,037 | +2.8% |
| 1969 | 110,129 | +1.9% |
| 1970 | 112,765 | +2.4% |
| 1971 | 117,492 | +4.2% |
| 1972 | 123,038 | +4.7% |
| 1973 | 129,456 | +5.2% |
| 1974 | 137,407 | +6.1% |
| 1975 | 146,029 | +6.3% |
| 1976 | 156,019 | +6.8% |
| 1977 | 171,603 | +10.0% |
| 1978 | 195,142 | +13.7% |
| 1979 | 218,615 | +12.0% |
| 1980 | 236,779 | +8.3% |
| 1981 | 250,931 | +6.0% |
| 1982 | 262,425 | +4.6% |
| 1983 | 272,822 | +4.0% |
| 1984 | 281,104 | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 287,698 | +2.3% |
| 1986 | 285,976 | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 386,688 | +35.2% |
| 1988 | 460,092 | +19.0% |
| 1989 | 422,958 | -8.1% |
| 1990 | 369,637 | -12.6% |
| 1991 | 298,368 | -19.3% |
| 1992 | 290,854 | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 148,945 | -48.8% |
| 1994 | -119,128 | -180.0% |
| 1995 | -14,777 | -87.6% |
| 1996 | 202,105 | -1467.7% |
| 1997 | 209,808 | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 230,842 | +10.0% |
| 1999 | 254,935 | +10.4% |
| 2000 | 268,135 | +5.2% |
| 2001 | 277,110 | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 287,386 | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 301,132 | +4.8% |
| 2004 | 319,161 | +6.0% |
| 2005 | 339,298 | +6.3% |
| 2006 | 358,665 | +5.7% |
| 2007 | 377,645 | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 400,071 | +5.9% |
| 2009 | 419,373 | +4.8% |
| 2010 | 430,678 | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 438,560 | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 444,551 | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 452,239 | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 459,718 | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 464,053 | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 472,154 | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 481,973 | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 488,372 | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 497,662 | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 508,137 | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 513,379 | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 521,467 | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 535,749 | +2.7% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 535,749 is below the median for low income countries, which is 556,727, 96% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 535,749 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 359,940, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual population growth in Malawi changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | +1467.7% | -14,777 | 202,105 |
| 1994 | -180.0% | 148,945 | -119,128 |
| 1995 | +87.6% | -119,128 | -14,777 |
| 1993 | -48.8% | 290,854 | 148,945 |
| 1987 | +35.2% | 285,976 | 386,688 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 65,985 | 52,587 | 80,220 | 9 |
| 1960s | 97,702 | 83,969 | 110,129 | 10 |
| 1970s | 150,757 | 112,765 | 218,615 | 10 |
| 1980s | 314,747 | 236,779 | 460,092 | 10 |
| 1990s | 187,159 | -119,128 | 369,637 | 10 |
| 2000s | 334,798 | 268,135 | 419,373 | 10 |
| 2010s | 462,996 | 430,678 | 497,662 | 10 |
| 2020s | 519,683 | 508,137 | 535,749 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More population data for Malawi
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.4293 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.1183 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.4293 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.3622 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 37,159 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.45 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2289 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.423 (2100)
- Population density 627.29 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 3.85 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual population growth in Malawi?
- Annual population growth in Malawi was 535,749 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual population growth recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 535,749 in 2023.
- What is the lowest annual population growth recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was -119,128 in 1994.
- How does Malawi rank for annual population growth?
- Malawi ranks 39th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual population growth rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Annual population growth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 73 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).