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Malawi
Republic of Malawi · Eastern Africa
At a glance
CapitalLilongwe
Most common first languageChichewa57.2% speak it as a mother tongue
Official languageEnglish
CurrencyMalawian kwacha
Drives on theleft
Highest pointMulanje Massif3,002 m
Biggest category of goods exportedfood90% of goods exports, 2024
Services share of exports33.3%of everything sold abroad, 2024
CoastlineLandlockedno access to the sea
Internet domain.mw
Malawi by the numbers
Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.
| Measure | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year. | 22.2m (2025) | 60th of 209 |
| GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices. | $14.9bn (2025) | 147th of 203 |
| Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory. | 94.3k km² (2023) | 108th of 209 |
| Military spending, totalWhat the government spends on its armed forces in a year — pay, equipment and operations. | $118m (2024) | 131st of 151 |
| Exports of goods & servicesThe value of everything the country sells abroad in a year, goods and services combined. | $1.59bn (2025) | 152nd of 180 |
| Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents. | 15.0m (2024) | 74th of 205 |
| Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive. | 21.2k km² (2023) | 105th of 203 |
| Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture. | 60.5k km² (2023) | 82nd of 206 |
| COâ‚‚ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes. | 5 Mt (2024) | 138th of 198 |
| Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them. | 3.91m (2025) | 114th of 209 |
| Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed. | 67.6 years (2024) | 163rd of 209 |
| GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population. | $672 (2025) | 198th of 205 |
| Internet useThe share of people who have used the internet in the last three months. | 19.0% (2024) | 179th of 191 |
| InflationHow much prices rose over the year, measured on a basket of consumer goods. | 28.4% (2025) | 9th of 182 |
| UnemploymentThe share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one. | 5.1% (2025) | 97th of 185 |
| Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas. | 17.6% (2025) | 206th of 209 |
| Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates. | 3.59 (2024) | 41st of 209 |
| Military spending, share of GDPWhat the country spends on its armed forces, as a share of everything it produces. | 1.02% of GDP (2024) | 109th of 155 |
| Trade opennessImports plus exports as a share of GDP. Above 100% is normal for small trading economies. | 39.4% of GDP (2025) | 162nd of 183 |
| COâ‚‚ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population. | 0.22 t (2024) | 177th of 198 |
| Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1. | 0.517 (2023) | 172nd of 193 |
Land borders
Malawi shares these with other countries
Drives on the left 60Is landlocked 43Has english as an official language 63Is a member of the commonwealth 55Is a member of the african union 54Mainly exports food 47Is in eastern africa 17
Keep going
Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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