Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate in Malawi
Malawi: Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate was 3.59 births per woman in 2024. ▼ Falling
Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate in Malawi, 1960–2024
Source: United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per woman.
Analysis
In 2024, total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate in Malawi stood at 3.59 births per woman. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 21.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate in Malawi peaked at 7.52 births per woman in 1980 and was at its lowest, 3.59 births per woman, in 2024.
That places Malawi 41st out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.15 births per woman | 7.04 births per woman | 7.27 births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.37 births per woman | 7.29 births per woman | 7.46 births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.2 births per woman | 6.8 births per woman | 7.52 births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.43 births per woman | 6.12 births per woman | 6.74 births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.8 births per woman | 5.45 births per woman | 6 births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.53 births per woman | 3.95 births per woman | 5.26 births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.73 births per woman | 3.59 births per woman | 3.88 births per woman | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More population data for Malawi
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.4% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 3.85 million people (2100)
- Population density 627.29 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.4% (2100)
- Refugees by country of asylum 35,510 people (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 3.59 births per woman (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 3.59 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate 2.6% (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 3.65 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. GDP per capita 3.65 live births per woman (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate in Malawi?
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate in Malawi was 3.59 births per woman in 2024, according to United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 7.52 births per woman in 1980.
- What is the lowest total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.59 births per woman in 2024.
- How does Malawi rank for total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate?
- Malawi ranks 41st out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The total fertility rate summarizes the total number of births a woman would have, if she experienced the birth rates seen in women of each age group in one particular year across her childbearing years. The wanted fertility is an estimate of what the total fertility rate would be if all unwanted births were avoided, based on survey data.