Malawi

Broadcast media

radio is the main broadcast medium; privately owned Zodiac radio has the widest national broadcasting reach, followed by state-run radio; about a dozen private and community radio stations broadcast in cities and towns around the country; the largest TV network is government-owned, but two private TV networks now broadcast in urban areas and more plan to begin broadcasting in 2014; relays of multiple international broadcasters are available (2014)

Internet country code

.mw

Internet users

total: 1.67 million | percent of population: 9.3% (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 135

Telephone system

general assessment: rudimentary; two fixed-line and two mobile-cellular operators govern the market | domestic: limited fixed-line subscribership of about 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular services are expanding but network coverage is limited and is based around the main urban areas; mobile-cellular subscribership about 30 per 100 persons | international: country code - 265; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean, 1 Atlantic Ocean) (2015)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 45,678 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 153

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 6.116 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 34 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 117

Agriculture - products

tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava (manioc, tapioca), sorghum, pulses, groundnuts, Macadamia nuts; cattle, goats

Budget

revenues: $1.26 billion | expenditures: $1.51 billion (2015 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-3.9% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 141

Central bank discount rate

15% (31 December 2009) | 15% (31 December 2008) | country comparison to the world: 12

Commercial bank prime lending rate

44.9% (31 December 2015 est.) | 44.29% (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 2

Current account balance

-$568 million (2015 est.) | -$494 million (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 101

Debt - external

$1.715 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $1.637 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 153

Distribution of family income - Gini index

39 (2004) | country comparison to the world: 69

Economy - overview

Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world's most densely populated and least developed countries. The country’s economic performance has historically been constrained by policy inconsistency, macroeconomic instability, limited connectivity to the region and the world, and poor health and education outcomes that limit labor productivity. The economy is predominately agricultural with about 80% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture accounts for about one-third of GDP and 90% of export revenues. The performance of the tobacco sector is key to short-term growth as tobacco accounts for more than half of exports. | The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations. In 2006, Malawi was approved for relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries program. Between 2005 and 2009 Malawi’s government exhibited improved financial discipline under the guidance of Finance Minister Goodall GONDWE and signed a three-year IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility worth $56 million. The government announced infrastructure projects that could yield improvements, such as a new oil pipeline for better fuel access, and the potential for a waterway link through Mozambican rivers to the ocean for better transportation options. | Since 2009, however, Malawi has experienced some setbacks, including a general shortage of foreign exchange, which has damaged its ability to pay for imports, and fuel shortages that hinder transportation and productivity. In October 2013, the African Development Bank, the IMF, several European countries, and the US indefinitely froze $150 million in direct budgetary support in response to a high level corruption scandal, called “Cashgate,” citing a lack of trust in the government’s financial management system and civil service. Most of the frozen donor funds — which accounted for 40% of the budget — have been channeled through non-governmental organizations in the country. The government has failed to address barriers to investment such as unreliable power, water shortages, poor telecommunications infrastructure, and the high costs of services. Investment had fallen continuously for several years, but rose 4 percentage points in 2014 to 17% of GDP. | The government faces many challenges, including developing a market economy, improving educational facilities, addressing environmental problems, dealing with HIV/AIDS, and satisfying foreign donors on anti-corruption efforts.

Exchange rates

Malawian kwachas (MWK) per US dollar - | 499.6 (2015 est.) | 424.9 (2014 est.) | 424.9 (2013 est.) | 249.11 (2012 est.) | 156.93 (2011 est.)

Exports

$1.278 billion (2015 est.) | $1.528 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 150

Exports - commodities

tobacco 53%, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products, apparel (2010 est.)

Exports - partners

Belgium 15.8%, Zimbabwe 12%, India 6.9%, South Africa 6.2%, US 6%, Russia 5.6%, Germany 4.6% (2015)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

GDP (official exchange rate)

$6.416 billion (2015 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$20.36 billion (2015 est.) | $19.78 billion (2014 est.) | $18.71 billion (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 145

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 75.6% | government consumption: 17.3% | investment in fixed capital: 12% | investment in inventories: 2.8% | exports of goods and services: 43.5% | imports of goods and services: -51.2% (2015 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 32.7% | industry: 17.2% | services: 50.1% (2015 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$1,100 (2015 est.) | $1,100 (2014 est.) | $1,100 (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 223

GDP - real growth rate

3% (2015 est.) | 5.7% (2014 est.) | 5.2% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 102

Gross national saving

-12.7% of GDP (2015 est.) | -9.9% of GDP (2014 est.) | -16.6% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 169

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3% | highest 10%: 31.9% (2004)

Imports

$2.607 billion (2015 est.) | $2.744 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 152

Imports - commodities

food, petroleum products, semi-manufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment

Imports - partners

South Africa 26.4%, China 16.7%, India 12%, Zambia 10.3%, Tanzania 6% (2015)

Industrial production growth rate

4.1% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 50

Industries

tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

21.2% (2015 est.) | 24.4% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 220

Labor force

5.747 million (2007 est.) | country comparison to the world: 71

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 90% | industry and services: 10% (2003 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$753.6 million (31 December 2012 est.) | $1.384 billion (31 December 2011 est.) | $1.363 billion (31 December 2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 108

Population below poverty line

52.4% (2004 est.)

Public debt

54.2% of GDP (2015 est.) | 58.5% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 72

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$693.1 million (31 December 2015 est.) | $625.2 million (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 139

Stock of broad money

$1.481 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $1.2 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 164

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$NA

Stock of domestic credit

$724.5 million (31 December 2015 est.) | $826.6 million (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 168

Stock of narrow money

$512.3 million (31 December 2015 est.) | $567.9 million (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 163

Taxes and other revenues

19.6% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 163

Unemployment rate

NA%

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

1.9 million Mt (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 151

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 158

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 95

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 165

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2016 es) | country comparison to the world: 165

Electricity - consumption

1.9 billion kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 142

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 167

Electricity - from fossil fuels

0.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 211

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

99.3% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 5

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 138

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 199

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 173

Electricity - installed generating capacity

400,000 kW (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 151

Electricity - production

2.1 billion kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 135

Electricity access

population without electricity: 14,900,000 | electrification - total population: 9% | electrification - urban areas: 32% | electrification - rural areas: 4% (2013)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 169

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 143

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 98

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 100

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 es) | country comparison to the world: 168

Refined petroleum products - consumption

7,000 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 165

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 202

Refined petroleum products - imports

6,843 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 153

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 209

Area

total: 118,484 sq km | land: 94,080 sq km | water: 24,404 sq km | country comparison to the world: 100

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Climate

sub-tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November)

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation

mean elevation: 779 m | elevation extremes: lowest point: junction of the Shire River and international boundary with Mozambique 37 m | highest point: Sapitwa (Mount Mlanje) 3,002 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation; land degradation; water pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial wastes; siltation of spawning grounds endangers fish populations

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands | signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geographic coordinates

13 30 S, 34 00 E

Geography - note

landlocked; Lake Nyasa, some 580 km long, is the country's most prominent physical feature; it contains more fish species than any other lake on earth

Irrigated land

740 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

total: 2,857 km | border countries (3): Mozambique 1,498 km, Tanzania 512 km, Zambia 847 km

Land use

agricultural land: 59.2% | arable land 38.2%; permanent crops 1.4%; permanent pasture 19.6% | forest: 34% | other: 6.8% (2011 est.)

Location

Southern Africa, east of Zambia, west and north of Mozambique

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite

Terrain

narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains

Administrative divisions

28 districts; Balaka, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Chitipa, Dedza, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu, Likoma, Lilongwe, Machinga, Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Mzimba, Neno, Ntcheu, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntchisi, Phalombe, Rumphi, Salima, Thyolo, Zomba

Capital

name: Lilongwe | geographic coordinates: 13 58 S, 33 47 E | time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no | citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Malawi | dual citizenship recognized: no | residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years

Constitution

previous 1953 (preindependence), 1966; latest drafted January to May 1994, approved 16 May 1994, entered into force 18 May 1995; amended several times, last in 2013 (2016)

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Malawi | conventional short form: Malawi | local long form: Dziko la Malawi | local short form: Malawi | former: British Central African Protectorate, Nyasaland Protectorate, Nyasaland | etymology: named for the East African Maravi kingdom of the 16th century; the word "maravi" means "fire flames"

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Virginia E. PALMER (since 5 February 2015) | embassy: 16 Jomo Kenyatta Road, Lilongwe 3 | mailing address: P.O. Box 30016, Lilongwe 3, Malawi | telephone: [265] (1) 773-166 | FAX: [265] (1) 770-471

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Edward Yakobe SAWERENGERA (since 16 September 2016) | chancery: 2408 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 | telephone: [1] (202) 721-0270 | FAX: [1] (202) 721-0288

Executive branch

chief of state: President Arthur Peter MUTHARIKA (since 31 May 2014); Vice President Saulos CHILIMA (since 31 May 2014); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government | head of government: President Arthur Peter MUTHARIKA (since 31 May 2014); Vice President Saulos CHILIMA (since 31 May 2014) | cabinet: Cabinet named by the president | elections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 20 May 2014 (next to be held in May 2019) | election results: Peter MUTHARIKA elected president; percent of vote - Peter MUTHARIKA (DPP) 36.4%, Lazarus CHAKWERA (MCP) 27.8%, Joyce BANDA (PP) 20.2%, Atupele MULUZI (UDF) 13.7%, other 1.9%

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with a radiant, rising, red sun centered on the black band; black represents the native peoples, red the blood shed in their struggle for freedom, and green the color of nature; the rising sun represents the hope of freedom for the continent of Africa

Government type

presidential republic

Independence

6 July 1964 (from the UK)

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, CD, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Supreme Court of Appeal (consists of the chief justice and at least 3 judges) | judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly; other judges appointed by the president upon recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission, which regulates judicial officers; judges serve until age 65 | subordinate courts: High Court; magistrate courts; Industrial Relations Court; district and city traditional or local courts

Legal system

mixed legal system of English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal

Legislative branch

description: unicameral National Assembly (193 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms) | elections: last held on 20-22 May 2014 (next to be held in May 2019) | election results: percent of vote by party - DPP 22.0%, MCP 17.4%, PP 18.5%, UDF 9.6%, other 2.8%, independent 29.7%; seats by party - DPP 51, MCP 48, PP 26, UDF 14, other 2, independent 52

National anthem

name: "Mulungu dalitsa Malawi" (Oh God Bless Our Land of Malawi) | lyrics/music: Michael-Fredrick Paul SAUKA | note: adopted 1964

National holiday

Independence Day (Republic Day), 6 July (1964)

National symbol(s)

lion; national colors: black, red, green

Political parties and leaders

Alliance for Democracy or AFORD [Godfrey SHAWA] | Chipani Cha Fuko or CCP [Davis KATSONGA PHIRI]; note - party disbanded in fall of 2015 | Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [Peter MUTHARIKA] | Malawi Congress Party or MCP [Lazarus CHAKWERA] | People's Party or PP [Joyce BANDA] | United Democratic Front or UDF [Atupele MULUZI]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Council for NGOs in Malawi or CONGOMA (human rights, democracy, and development) | Human Rights Consultative Committee or HRCC (human rights) | Malawi Economic Justice Network or MEJN (pro economic growth, development, government accountability) | Malawi Law Society (an umbrella organization of all lawyers in Malawi) | Public Affairs Committee or PAC (promotes democracy, development, peace and unity)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule under President Hastings Kamuzu BANDA, the country held multiparty presidential and parliamentary elections in 1994, under a provisional constitution that came into full effect the following year. President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA, elected in May 2004 after a failed attempt by the previous president to amend the constitution to permit another term, struggled to assert his authority against his predecessor and subsequently started his own party, the Democratic Progressive Party in 2005. MUTHARIKA was reelected to a second term in May 2009. He oversaw some economic improvement in his first term, but was accused of economic mismanagement and poor governance in his second term. He died abruptly in April 2012 and was succeeded by vice president, Joyce BANDA, who had earlier started her own party, the People's Party. MUTHARIKA's brother, Peter MUTHARIKA, defeated BANDA in the May 2014 election. Population growth, increasing pressure on agricultural lands, corruption, and the scourge of HIV/AIDS pose major problems for Malawi.

Military branches

Malawi Defense Forces (MDF): Army (includes Air Wing, Marine Unit) (2012)

Military expenditures

0.93% of GDP (2012) | 0.79% of GDP (2011) | 0.93% of GDP (2010) | country comparison to the world: 104

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service; high school equivalent required for enlisted recruits and college equivalent for officer recruits; initial engagement is 7 years for enlisted personnel and 10 years for officers (2014)

Age structure

0-14 years: 46.53% (male 4,299,076/female 4,341,129) | 15-24 years: 20.49% (male 1,889,240/female 1,915,843) | 25-54 years: 27.26% (male 2,512,247/female 2,549,766) | 55-64 years: 3.03% (male 268,691/female 294,713) | 65 years and over: 2.69% (male 220,608/female 279,008) (2016 est.)

Birth rate

41.3 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 7

Child labor - children ages 5-14

total number: 993,318 | percentage: 26% (2006 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

16.7% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 52

Contraceptive prevalence rate

46.1% (2010)

Death rate

8.1 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 94

Demographic profile

Malawi has made great improvements in maternal and child health, but has made less progress in reducing its high fertility rate. In both rural and urban areas, very high proportions of mothers are receiving prenatal care and skilled birth assistance, and most children are being vaccinated. Malawi’s fertility rate, however, has only declined slowly, decreasing from more than 7 children per woman in the 1980s to about 5.5 today. Nonetheless, Malawians prefer smaller families than in the past, and women are increasingly using contraceptives to prevent or space pregnancies. Rapid population growth and high population density is putting pressure on Malawi’s land, water, and forest resources. Reduced plot sizes and increasing vulnerability to climate change, further threaten the sustainability of Malawi’s agriculturally based economy and will worsen food shortages. About 80% of the population is employed in agriculture. | Historically, Malawians migrated abroad in search of work, primarily to South Africa and present-day Zimbabwe, but international migration became uncommon after the 1970s, and most migration in recent years has been internal. During the colonial period, Malawians regularly migrated to southern Africa as contract farm laborers, miners, and domestic servants. In the decade and a half after independence in 1964, the Malawian Government sought to transform its economy from one dependent on small-scale farms to one based on estate agriculture. The resulting demand for wage labor induced more than 300,000 Malawians to return home between the mid-1960s and the mid-1970s. In recent times, internal migration has generally been local, motivated more by marriage than economic reasons.

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 94.5% | youth dependency ratio: 87.9% | elderly dependency ratio: 6.7% | potential support ratio: 14.9% (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 95.7% of population | rural: 89.1% of population | total: 90.2% of population | urban: 4.3% of population | rural: 10.9% of population | total: 9.8% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

6.9% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 60

Ethnic groups

Chewa 32.6%, Lomwe 17.6%, Yao 13.5%, Ngoni 11.5%, Tumbuka 8.8%, Nyanja 5.8%, Sena 3.6%, Tonga 2.1%, Ngonde 1%, other 3.5%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

9.11% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 9

HIV/AIDS - deaths

26,700 (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 11

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

976,300 (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 10

Health expenditures

11.4% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 35

Hospital bed density

1.3 beds/1,000 population (2011)

Infant mortality rate

total: 44.8 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 51.5 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 38 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 44

Languages

English (official), Chichewa (common), Chinyanja, Chiyao, Chitumbuka, Chilomwe, Chinkhonde, Chingoni, Chisena, Chitonga, Chinyakyusa, Chilambya

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 61.2 years | male: 59.2 years | female: 63.2 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 197

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 65.8% | male: 73% | female: 58.6% (2015 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high | food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever | vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever | water contact disease: schistosomiasis | animal contact disease: rabies (2016)

Major urban areas - population

LILONGWE (capital) 905,000; Blantyre-Limbe 808,000 (2015)

Maternal mortality rate

634 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 24

Median age

total: 16.5 years | male: 16.3 years | female: 16.6 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 226

Mother's mean age at first birth

18.9 | note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2010 est.)

Nationality

noun: Malawian(s) | adjective: Malawian

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 91

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

4.3% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 168

Physicians density

0.02 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

Population

18,570,321 | note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 62

Population growth rate

3.32% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 2

Religions

Christian 82.6%, Muslim 13%, other 1.9%, none 2.5% (2008 est.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 47.3% of population | rural: 39.8% of population | total: 41% of population | urban: 52.7% of population | rural: 60.2% of population | total: 59% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 11 years | male: 11 years | female: 11 years (2011)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 0.99 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 0.99 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female | total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.54 children born/woman (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 8

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 8.6% | male: 9.1% | female: 8.2% (2013 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 16.3% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 3.77% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Disputes - international

dispute with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River; Malawi contends that the entire lake up to the Tanzanian shoreline is its territory, while Tanzania claims the border is in the center of the lake; the conflict was reignited in 2012 when Malawi awarded a license to a British company for oil exploration in the lake

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 11,315 (Democratic Republic of the Congo); 5,260 (Rwanda) (2015); nearly 11,500 (Mozambique) (2016) | IDPs: 107,000 (floods in 2015) (2015)

Airports

32 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 113

Airports - with paved runways

total: 7 | over 3,047 m: 1 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 | 914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 25 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 | 914 to 1,523 m: 11 | under 914 m: 13 (2013)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

7Q (2016)

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 1 | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 2 | annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 6,010 | annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 5,467 mt-km (2015)

Ports and terminals

lake port(s): Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba (Lake Nyasa)

Railways

total: 767 km | narrow gauge: 767 km 1.067-m gauge (2014) | country comparison to the world: 98

Roadways

total: 15,450 km | paved: 6,951 km | unpaved: 8,499 km (2011) | country comparison to the world: 120

Waterways

700 km (on Lake Nyasa [Lake Malawi] and Shire River) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 75