Malawi Population Pyramid 1988
Malawi in 1988
In 1988, Malawi had a total population of 8,753,262 people. Over the previous ten years the population grew by 50.7%, up from 5,810,131 in 1978.
With a median age of 17.5 years, Malawi had a youth dependency ratio of 88.4 and an old-age dependency ratio of 8.3 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 | 8,753,262 | 17.5 | |
| Zimbabwe | 9,583,094 | 15.9 | |
| Zambia | 7,391,440 | 15.6 | |
| Somalia | 7,235,360 | 16.8 | |
| Rwanda | 6,968,071 | 15.6 |





