Annual change in population in Malawi

Malawi: Annual change in population was 535,749 people in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
535,749 people
Change on year
up 2.7%
World rank
39th
of 236 countries
All-time high
535,749 people
in 2023
All-time low
-119,128 people
in 1994
Years of data
73
1951–2023

Annual change in population in Malawi, 1951–2023

-200.0k0200.0k400.0k600.0k195119872023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

Malawi recorded 535,749 people for annual change in population 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 change in population in Malawi peaked at 535,749 people in 2023 and was at its lowest, -119,128 people, 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 65,985 people 52,587 people 80,220 people 9
1960s 97,702 people 83,969 people 110,129 people 10
1970s 150,757 people 112,765 people 218,615 people 10
1980s 314,747 people 236,779 people 460,092 people 10
1990s 187,159 people -119,128 people 369,637 people 10
2000s 334,798 people 268,135 people 419,373 people 10
2010s 462,996 people 430,678 people 497,662 people 10
2020s 519,683 people 508,137 people 535,749 people 4

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 36 Colombia 583,208 people compare
  2. 37 Zambia 571,032 people compare
  3. 38 Somalia 556,727 people compare
  4. 40 Burkina Faso 516,739 people compare
  5. 41 United Kingdom 503,650 people compare
  6. 42 Canada 477,839 people compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual change in population in Malawi?
Annual change in population in Malawi was 535,749 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual change in population recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 535,749 people in 2023.
What is the lowest annual change in population recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was -119,128 people in 1994.
How does Malawi rank for annual change in population?
Malawi ranks 39th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is annual change in population 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 UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual change in population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Annual change in population
Unit
people
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,228 data points, 1951–2023
Last refreshed

Annual change in population, calculated as the difference between population on 1 July of consecutive years.