Malawi Population Pyramid 1971
Malawi in 1971
In 1971, Malawi had a total population of 4,751,434 people. Over the previous ten years the population grew by 27.9%, up from 3,715,534 in 1961.
With a median age of 17.9 years, Malawi had a youth dependency ratio of 84.9 and an old-age dependency ratio of 5.5 per 100 people of working age. The broad-based, expansive shape of the pyramid points to high fertility and strong population growth.
Data source: United Nations World Population Prospects, 2024 revision (medium variant) — last updated July 2024.
The fertility rate of Malawi was 3.65 births per woman in 2023, above the 2.1 needed to replace each generation.
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, latest available year.
A child born there in 2023 could expect to live 67.4 years on average (70.6 years for girls, 64.1 for boys).
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, latest available year.
156,059 immigrants live in Malawi, 0.7% of the population.
| Mozambique | 39,156 |
| Zambia | 30,614 |
| D.R. Congo | 27,099 |
| Zimbabwe | 26,561 |
| Burundi | 9,834 |
427,573 people born in Malawi live in other countries.
| South Africa | 220,437 |
| Zimbabwe | 111,872 |
| Mozambique | 65,284 |
| Zambia | 17,796 |
| Tanzania | 6,678 |
Source: United Nations International Migrant Stock 2024.
| Country | Population | Median age | Relative size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malawi | 4,751,434 | 17.9 | |
| Zambia | 4,442,526 | 16.1 | |
| Zimbabwe | 5,374,712 | 15.8 | |
| Rwanda | 4,100,044 | 15.9 | |
| Somalia | 3,837,691 | 17.6 |





