Malawi Population Pyramid 2001
Malawi in 2001
In 2001, Malawi had a total population of 11,593,059 people. That is 17.8% more than in 1991, when the population stood at 9,844,227.
With a median age of 16.8 years, Malawi had a youth dependency ratio of 91.5 and an old-age dependency ratio of 6.9 per 100 people of working age. This is an expansive pyramid — each cohort of children is larger than the one above it, the signature of high birth rates and rapid 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 | 11,593,059 | 16.8 | |
| Zimbabwe | 11,971,902 | 18.0 | |
| Zambia | 10,325,186 | 15.9 | |
| Somalia | 9,198,493 | 16.2 | |
| Rwanda | 8,287,095 | 16.8 |





