Fertility rate with projections in Malawi

Malawi: Fertility rate with projections was 3.65 in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
3.65
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
40th
of 236 countries
All-time high
7.52
in 1980
All-time low
3.65
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Fertility rate with projections in Malawi, 1950–2023

02468195019862023

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2023, fertility rate with projections in Malawi stood at 3.65. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.

The figure is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 23.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fertility rate with projections in Malawi peaked at 7.52 in 1980 and was at its lowest, 3.65, in 2023.

Malawi ranks 40th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.

Fertility rate with projections in Malawi, year by year

Annual values for Fertility rate with projections in Malawi, 1950 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1950 6.82 —
1951 6.84 +0.2%
1952 6.84 +0.1%
1953 6.85 +0.1%
1954 6.8 -0.7%
1955 6.84 +0.6%
1956 6.89 +0.6%
1957 6.92 +0.5%
1958 6.96 +0.6%
1959 7.01 +0.6%
1960 7.04 +0.5%
1961 7.07 +0.4%
1962 7.09 +0.4%
1963 7.13 +0.5%
1964 7.11 -0.2%
1965 7.13 +0.2%
1966 7.17 +0.7%
1967 7.21 +0.5%
1968 7.26 +0.7%
1969 7.27 +0.2%
1970 7.29 +0.3%
1971 7.31 +0.2%
1972 7.33 +0.2%
1973 7.34 +0.2%
1974 7.34 +0.1%
1975 7.36 +0.2%
1976 7.39 +0.4%
1977 7.41 +0.3%
1978 7.43 +0.4%
1979 7.46 +0.4%
1980 7.52 +0.7%
1981 7.49 -0.3%
1982 7.45 -0.6%
1983 7.36 -1.2%
1984 7.26 -1.3%
1985 7.17 -1.3%
1986 7.07 -1.4%
1987 6.97 -1.4%
1988 6.88 -1.3%
1989 6.8 -1.1%
1990 6.74 -0.9%
1991 6.68 -0.9%
1992 6.63 -0.8%
1993 6.57 -0.9%
1994 6.49 -1.3%
1995 6.39 -1.5%
1996 6.29 -1.7%
1997 6.23 -0.9%
1998 6.21 -0.4%
1999 6.12 -1.3%
2000 6 -2.0%
2001 5.94 -1.0%
2002 5.9 -0.7%
2003 5.88 -0.5%
2004 5.86 -0.2%
2005 5.85 -0.3%
2006 5.8 -0.8%
2007 5.72 -1.3%
2008 5.61 -2.0%
2009 5.45 -2.8%
2010 5.26 -3.5%
2011 5.08 -3.4%
2012 4.9 -3.6%
2013 4.76 -2.9%
2014 4.57 -4.0%
2015 4.38 -4.0%
2016 4.22 -3.8%
2017 4.11 -2.4%
2018 4.02 -2.2%
2019 3.95 -1.7%
2020 3.88 -1.9%
2021 3.79 -2.2%
2022 3.72 -1.9%
2023 3.65 -1.9%

Malawi compared with similar countries

  • Malawi's 3.65 is below the median for low income countries, which is 4.19, 87% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Malawi's 3.65 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4, 91% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 6.88 6.8 7.01 10
1960s 7.15 7.04 7.27 10
1970s 7.37 7.29 7.46 10
1980s 7.2 6.8 7.52 10
1990s 6.43 6.12 6.74 10
2000s 5.8 5.45 6 10
2010s 4.53 3.95 5.26 10
2020s 3.76 3.65 3.88 4

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 37 Zimbabwe 3.72 compare
  2. 38 Eritrea 3.71 compare
  3. 39 Rwanda 3.7 compare
  4. 41 Gabon 3.65 compare
  5. 42 Sao Tome and Principe 3.64 compare
  6. 43 Pakistan 3.6 compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is fertility rate with projections in Malawi?
Fertility rate with projections in Malawi was 3.65 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest fertility rate with projections recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 7.52 in 1980.
What is the lowest fertility rate with projections recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 3.65 in 2023.
How does Malawi rank for fertility rate with projections?
Malawi ranks 40th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is fertility rate with projections rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is down 23.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malawi data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate with projections. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Fertility rate with projections in Malawi. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/fertility-rate-with-projections/malawi/

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About this data

Indicator
Fertility rate with projections
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed