Geography
Economics
Demographics
Military
Politics
Surface
Surface (in square kilometers)
Surface (in square miles)
Surface (water)
Water Surface (in square kilometers)
Water Surface (in square miles)
Share of water (%)
Temperature
Average temperature (in Celcius)
Average temperature (in Farenheit)
Average high temperature (in Celcius)
Average high temperature (in Farenheit)
Average low temperature (in Celcius)
Average low temperature (in Farenheit)
Rainfall
Average rainfall (mm)
Average rainfall (inch)
Distance to other capitals (kilometers)
Distance to other capitals (miles)
Proximity
Economic organizations
Gross Domestic Product (US$)
Gross Domestic Product per capita
Amount of memberships (economic organizations)
Absolute earnings for every 1$
Relative earnings
GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)
GDP in PPP per capita
Gross Domestic product (in million US$)
GDP per capita (in US$)
Surface GDP
GDP per square kilometer (in US$)
GDP per square mile(in US$)
Relative GDP in PPP
Population
Population density
Emigration
Immigration
Literacy
Health
Population density (in km2)
Population density (in mi2)
Religion
Christianity (share of the total population)
Islam (share of the total population)
Buddhism (share of the total population)
Hinduism (share of the total population)
Judaism (share of the total population)
Other religions (share of the total population)
Non-religious (share of the total population)
Military spending (in % of GDP)
Military spending
Its annual budget is US$68 million, or 0.8 percent of its GDP. This makes Malawi the 147th highest military spender representing 0.0035 percent of total global military expenditure.
The military of Malawi, called the Malawi defence force, mainly consists of ground forces and a small air force.
Military membership
it is also a member of four international military organizations which makes it the 124th most militarily connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:
- Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
- Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
- International Atomic Energy Agency
- Non-Aligned Movement
Military membership
International wars
Since its independence, Malawi has partaken in one international war. This is:
- M13 rebellion 2011-2013
Number of international wars fought
Military spending (in US$ million)
Membership (international political organizations)
Malawi is a member of nine international political organizations which makes it the 158th most politically connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:
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Member state of the United Nations
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International Labour Organization
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African Union
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Commonwealth of Nations
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International Criminal Court
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Interpol
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Association of World Election Bodies
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South Centre (organization)
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World Organization for Animal Health
Political Membership
Democracy/dictatorship rating
Since the death of the president of Malawi in 1997, the elections within the Malawi take place every five years. However, with the centralization of power by the president of Malawi, it is ranked as the 79th most democratic state in the world.
Democracy/Dictatorship
The politics of Malawi take place in the form of a democratic republic where the president of Malawi serves as head of state as well as head of government. The centralized power of the president of Malawi gives it the authority to appoint its cabinet members as well as a second vice president.
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Malawi
Formerly known as Nyasaland, Malawi is a home to the third-largest lake of Africa. It has been inhabited by the Bantu people which have formed a larger state with parts of Mozambique and Zambia. Its first contact was with Portuguese explorers during the 17th century. At the end of the 18th century until the second half of the 19th century, Malawi was one of the larger centers for the European slave trade. At the end of the 19th century, Malawi became a British protectorate. At the beginning of the 20th century, Malawi nationalist movements has started to increasingly call for self-determination which, after heavy clashes with the colonial government, was granted when Malawi became an independent state in 1964. Until the end of the 20th century, Malawi was ruled by a single president that was elected as president for life. After his death in 1997, regular elections have taken place but the results have been put into question.
Malawi is a landlocked state located in the southern part of Africa. It consists of medium mountain ranges in its Western part. Most of its territory is covered by low-lying vegetation with the exception of lightly forested areas located in the northern part of Malawi. It borders Tanzania to the north, lake Malawi to the northeast, its southern part is surrounded by Mozambique, and it borders Zambia to the west.
It is the 98th largest state in the world with a total surface area of 119,076 square kilometers or 45,976 square miles. This makes Malawi slightly smaller than North Korea and larger than Eritrea.
It is the 23rd state with the highest amount of surface water, mainly derived from Lake Malawi, which covers 24,526 square kilometers or 9496 square miles.
Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.
Aside from Lake Malawi, Malawi is covered by several small rivers that flow from the western Mountain range to Lake Malawi. However, most of its drinking water is derived from groundwater which is also used for irrigation. The drinking quality of the water is poor.
Afghanistan's share of water, as well as the other states are displayed below.
Malawi is the 96th warmest state in the world with an average temperature of 21.7 degrees Celsius or 71 degrees Fahrenheit. Its climate is considered to be a tropical climate and is known to have only a dry and a wet season.
During the wet season, which is from November to April, the average temperature is around 26.3 degrees Celsius or 79.3 degrees Fahrenheit.
Its dry season is between May and October and has an average temperature of 15.5 degrees Celsius or 59.9 degrees Fahrenheit.
Malawi is the 85th state with the highest amount of rainfall which is 111 centimetres or 43.8 inches per year. Rainfall is fairly evenly spread out throughout Malawi. However, its northern part and its Western parts receive 1.5 times the amount of rainfall compared to its southeastern part.
The capital of Malawi, Lilongwe, is a home to approximately 750,000 people. The capital that is closest located to Lilongwe is Harare Zimbabwe with a distance of 533 kilometers or 331 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from the Lilongwe is Apia Samoa with a distance of 15,853 kilometers or 9851 miles.
The economy of Malawi is considered to be an open economy where the majority of its population relies on subsistence farming. Because of low output as well as a lack of farmland, the economy of Malawi is facing a low economic growth which results in high amounts of poverty. As a result, Malawi is heavily dependent on foreign aid that is provided by the international monetary fund, the World Bank and other states. Most of its exports are agricultural products such as sugar, tobacco and tea which are mainly exported to Belgium which is solely responsible for more than 50 percent of all exports. Most of its imports comes from south Africa which is solely responsible for more than 15 percent as well.
Malawi is a member of 11 international economic organizations which makes it the 131st most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:
- Alliance for Financial Inclusion
- African development Bank
- International Monetary Fund
- World Bank Group
- World Customs Organization
- World Trade Organization
- International Bamboo and Rattan Organization
- Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
- Southern African Development Community
- International Solar Alliance
- Group of 77
Its GDP is US$7.6 billion which makes it the 152nd highest in the world and represents 0.009 percent of total global GDP.
Its GDP per surface area is the 162nd highest in the world with US$63,823 per square kilometer or US$165,301 per square mile.
Its GDP per capita is the lowest in the world with US$412.
The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.
Its purchasing power, however, is the 184th highest in the world with US$1451 per capita per year.
The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states
With a population of 18.5 million people, Malawi is the 64th most populous state in the world. Because of its colonized past, the official language in Malawi is English. However, the people of Malawi consist of more than 20 different tribes which each speak their own language. The Chewa tribe is considered to be the largest of these tribes and has a high influence on the most commonly spoken languages and is spoken by the majority of the population.
Malawi has the 58th highest population density in the world with 154 people per square kilometer or 400 people per square mile.
More than 350,000 people, or 2.1 percent of the population, has migrated to other states. This makes Malawi the 118th state with the highest number of emigrants representing 0.15 percent of total global emigration. This is mainly due to the dire economic situation in Malawi as well as low employment rates. South Africa is the largest recipient of migrants and represents roughly 1/3 of all migrants. Other large recipients of migrants are Mozambique with 20 percent of migrants and the United Kingdom with eight percent of migrants.
Around 1.1 percent of the population, or nearly 200.000 people have migrated to Malawi. The main reason for migration to Malawi and has been the political unrest that was present in Mozambique at the end of the 20th century.
With a literacy rate of 64.3 percent, Malawi is the 171st most literate state in the world. Despite making education compulsory, Malawi has one of the highest dropout rates in the world.
The health care system of Malawi faces several challenges. One of the leading causes of death are malaria, HIV AIDS and tuberculosis. A large contributor to this high death rate is the lack of funds for the health care system of Malawi which in turn has led to an inequal availability of healthcare throughout Malawi. The average life expectancy is 65.6 years with women reaching 68.8 years and men reaching 62.5 years. The this makes Malawi the 171st state with the highest life expectancy.
Throughout its history, Malawi has been visited by Christian as well as Islamic missionaries which are mostly active during its period of colonization. Today, these are the largest religions within Malawi.
Christianity is the largest religion in Malawi and is represented by 69 percent of the population. This makes Malawi the 91st state with the highest percentage of Christians. Christianity was introduced to Malawi under British rule when British missionaries started to spread Protestantism which is the largest denomination within Malawi.
Islam came to Malawi through Arab traders at the start of the 15th century. Most Islamic traders are active in the south of Malawi where they started to spread their religion. Today, with 15.3 percent of the population adhering to Islam, Malawi is the 66th most Islamic state in the world.
There are no official Buddhist organizations in Malawi.
Hinduism is represented by 0.04 percent of the population. These are mainly remnants of Indian colonists that were relocated by the British Empire under British rule. Since the independence of Malawi, many Hindus have faced discrimination as they were seen as accessories to the colonization and slave trade. Currently, some of these discriminatory practices are still in place in the politics of Malawi which reserve political positions for adherence to Christianity or Islam.
Less than 0.01 percent of the population adheres to Judaism. These Jews mainly arrives to Malawi under British rule during the second world war when they were evacuated from Europe and placed within other states of the British Empire.
Other religions are represented by 1.2 percent of the population. These are mainly tribal religions that worship animals and deceased ancestors.
Irreligion is represented by 1.7 percent of the population. Despite the high rate of poverty, a large part of the people of Malawi are being aided by religious organizations that require religious affiliation.
