Malawi: Fact file

Updated May 2008

Name Republic of Malawi
Area 118 484 sq km (Frame 2008, 712)
Capital Lilongwe
Major cities Blantyre, Mzuzu, Zomba, Karonga, Kasungu, Mangochi, Salima (Frame 2008, 712)
Boundaries Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania (Landlocked)
Population 13.2 million, 2005 (UNDP 2007/8)
Pop growth rate 3.1%, 2005-15 (UNDP 2007/8)
Urbanisation 17.2%, 2005 (UNDP 2007/8)
Life expectancy Female 46.7 yrs, male 46.0 yrs; 2005 (UNDP 2007/8)
Infant mortality 79/1000, 2005 (UNDP 2007/8)
HIV/AIDS prevalence 12.0%, adults; 2007 est (Office of the President and Cabinet 2008, ix)
Adult Literacy rate Female 54.0%, male 74.9%; 2005 (UNDP 2007/8)
Military expenditure 0.7% of GDP; 2005 (UNDP 2007/8)
Health expenditure 9.6% of GDP; 2004 (UNDP 2007/8)
Legal system English common law, customary law (NationMaster undated)
Independence 6 July 1964, from United Kingdom
GDP US$3.538 billion, 2007 est (IMF 2008a)
GDP per capita US$264.31, 2007 est (IMF 2008a)
GDP growth rate 7.4%, 2007 est (IMF 2008a)
Main exports Tobacco, sugar, tea, coffee and cotton (Frame 2008, 715)
Currency 100 Tambala = 1 Kwacha
Unemployment +53%, 2004 (Disability Front Line 2004)
Inflation rate 8.1%, 2007 est (IMF 2008a)
External debt ratio 22.6% of GDP, 2007 (IMF 2008b)
Roads 16 450 km (SADC 2007)
Rail 1 262 km (Frame 2008, 710)
Airports 5, 2 international (Lilongwe, Blantyre) (EIU 2008)
Ethnic groups Main groups are the Chewa, Tumbuka, Yao and Ngoni (SADC 2007)
Languages Official English, national Nyanja (Chewa), Tumbuka. Others Yao, Nyakyusa-Ngonde, Sena, Kokola, Lomwe, Ndali, Lambya (Ethnologue.com undated)
Religion Christian 76.8% (Roman Catholic 24.7%, Protestant 22.9%, Independent 16.8%) Muslims 14.8%, African Traditional 7.8% (Religious Freedom 2001)

References

DISABILITY FRONT LINE 2004 "Representative surveys on the 'Living Conditions Among Disabled People' in three countries in Southern Africa: Malawi, Namibia, Zimbabwe", Disability Front Line, October 29, [www] http://www.dcdd.nl/default.asp?action=article&id=2593 [opens new window] (accessed 23 Apr 2008).

ETHNOLOGUE.COM UNDATED "Languages of Malawi" [www] http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=Malawi [opens new window] (accessed 23 Apr 2008).

ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT (EIU) 2008 "Malawi risk: Infrastructure risk", http://www.eiu.com/ index.asp?layout=RKPrintVW3&article_id=843089069&printer=printer&rf=0 [opens new window] (accessed 23 Apr 2008).

FRAME, I 2008 (ed) Africa South of the Sahara 2008, Routledge.

IMF 2008a World Economic Outlook Database, April 2008, [www] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2008/01/weodata/index.aspx [opens new window] (accessed 21 Apr 2008).

IMF 2008b Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa, 118, [www] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/reo/2007/AFR/ENG/sreo0407.pdf, [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 22 Apr 2008).

NATIONMASTER UNDATED "Legal system (most recent) by country", [www] http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/gov_leg_sys-government-legal-system [opens new window] (accessed 23 Apr 2008).

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT AND CABINET 2008 "MALAWI HIV and AIDS Monitoring and Evaluation Report 2007" IN 2008 progress reports submitted by countries, UNAIDS, [www] http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2008/malawi_2008_country_progress_report_en.pdf [PDF document, opens in window] (accessed 5 May 2008).

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 2001 "Nation profile: Malawi", [www] http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/nationprofiles/Malawi/rbodies.html [opens new window] (accessed 23 Apr 2008).

SADC 2007 "Madagascar" IN Country Profiles, 136, 148, [www] http://www.sadcreview.com/pdfs07/madagascar2007_08.pdf [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 23 Apr 2008).

UNDP 2008 "Malawi", [www] http://hdrstats.undp.org/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_MWI.html [opens in window] (accessed 23 Apr 2008).