Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Malawi: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna grade (MCD, ranked #188 of 195).
Malawi is a presidential republic in Southern Africa, east of Zambia, west and north of Mozambique. The country's capital is Lilongwe; it covers 118,484 sq km. Independence: 6 July 1964 (from the UK). Terrain: narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains. Climate: sub-tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November). Population: 21.8 million (2024 estimate). Population growth: +2.16% per year. Median age: 19.4 years. Life expectancy: 73 years (2024 est.). Languages: English (official), Chewa (dominant), Lambya, Lomwe, Ngoni, Nkhonde, Nyakyusa, Nyanja, Sena, Tonga, Tumbuka, Yao Religions: Protestant 33.5% (includes Church of Central Africa…
| Capital | Lilongwe |
|---|---|
| Population | 21,763,309 (2024 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $35.425 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $1,600 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 1.8% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 32.2% |
| Unemployment | 5.1% |
| Public debt | 55.6% of GDP (2022 est.) |
| Exports | $1.526 billion (2023 est.) |
| Imports | $3.995 billion (2023 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 73 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 19.4 |
| Urbanization | 18.3% of total population (2023) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| Independence | 6 July 1964 (from the UK) |
| Languages | English (official), Chewa (dominant), Lambya, Lomwe, Ngoni, Nkhonde, Nyakyusa, Nyanja, Sena, Tonga, Tumbuka, Yao |
MCD · 33/100 — The Magna grade is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — five dimensions, 100+ indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
Steadiness was the quarter's defining trait: no rupture, no windfall, no surprise strong enough to move the score.
The trajectory remains set by fundamentals that change over years, not quarters — and this quarter changed little.
Hydropower, Uranium, Coal, Bauxite.
Peter Mutharika — President. President Peter MUTHARIKA (since 4 October 2025)
Malawi maintains 19 embassies and 4 consulates abroad, hosts 16 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, AU Addis Ababa. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 19 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 4 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 16 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, AU Addis Ababa |
Source: Consular Affairs Center, Diplomatic and Consular Networks Database and Rankings, January 2026 (Zenodo, CC BY 4.0). https://zenodo.org/records/18109976
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Landlocked — no seacoast; exports move through transit corridors across neighbouring countries. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 27 (registration prefix 7Q) |
| Railways | 767 km |
Chileka International Airport (BLZ) — Blantyre; Kamuzu International Airport (LLW) — Lumbadzi.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28)
| Political system | presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
MCD · 33 Ranked #188 of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Malawi.
