Birth rate in Malawi
Malawi: Birth rate was 31.38 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Birth rate in Malawi, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for birth rate in Malawi is 31.38 births per 1,000 people, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 16.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Malawi peaked at 54.38 births per 1,000 people in 1963 and was at its lowest, 31.38 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
That places Malawi 27th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 51.36 births per 1,000 people | 49.47 births per 1,000 people | 53.38 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 54.16 births per 1,000 people | 53.73 births per 1,000 people | 54.38 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 52.97 births per 1,000 people | 52.36 births per 1,000 people | 53.96 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 50.52 births per 1,000 people | 48.45 births per 1,000 people | 52.7 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 47.2 births per 1,000 people | 45.42 births per 1,000 people | 48.44 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 43.59 births per 1,000 people | 41.74 births per 1,000 people | 44.57 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.25 births per 1,000 people | 32.9 births per 1,000 people | 40.69 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.93 births per 1,000 people | 31.38 births per 1,000 people | 32.54 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 24 Cote d'Ivoire 31.99 births per 1,000 people compare
- 25 Ethiopia 31.9 births per 1,000 people compare
- 26 Burkina Faso 31.64 births per 1,000 people compare
- 28 Liberia 30.96 births per 1,000 people compare
- 29 Congo 30.63 births per 1,000 people compare
- 30 Sierra Leone 30.6 births per 1,000 people compare
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)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 3.59 births per woman (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate in Malawi?
- Birth rate in Malawi was 31.38 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 54.38 births per 1,000 people in 1963.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.38 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Malawi rank for birth rate?
- Malawi ranks 27th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The total number of births per 1,000 people in a given year.