Malawi at its true size
Malawi covers 118,484 km², number 98 of 194 countries by area. Home to 22,216,120 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 118,484 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 22,216,120 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 188 per km² |
| Capital | Lilongwe |
| Local time in Lilongwe | |
| Time zone | UTC+2 IANA |
| Currency | Malawian kwacha (MWK) Wikidata |
| Languages | English, Chewa, Tumbuka |
| Traffic | On the left |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Landlocked |
| Calling code | +265 |
| Codes | MW · MWI · 454 |
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Where Malawi ranks
Among the independent states, in 43 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#61 of 19422 million people#21 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#52 of 194188 people per km²#10 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#189 of 19218% urban#54 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#40 of 1923.59 births per woman#37 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#22 of 192+2.56% a year#13 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#26 of 19231.1 births per 1,000 people#24 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#162 of 1925.3 deaths per 1,000 people#50 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#25 of 19240.1% under 15#23 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#180 of 1922.6% aged 65 and over#46 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#89 of 192−0.3 per 1,000 people#19 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#145 of 1900.02 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#48 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
- Life expectancy#146 of 19267.6 years#17 of 54 in Africa
- Infant mortality#29 of 19138.0 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#25 of 54 in Africa
- Doctors#176 of 1780.05 doctors per 1,000 people#49 of 51 in Africa
- University enrolment#144 of 1452.7% gross enrolment#29 of 29 in Africa
- Human Development Index#169 of 190an index of 0.517#35 of 54 in Africa
Economy
- GNI per capita#180 of 185$600 a person#48 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#174 of 18419% online#44 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#180 of 184$1,899 a person#48 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#134 of 187+1.9% a year#46 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#9 of 176+28.4% a year#5 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#88 of 1785.1% of the labour force#32 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#4 of 14975.4% under $3.00 a day#4 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#47 of 149a Gini index of 38.5#21 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#8 of 17865.0% of jobs#7 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#170 of 1787.3% of jobs#46 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#169 of 17827.7% of jobs#46 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#55 of 1843.6% of GDP#18 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#160 of 16810.6% of GDP#47 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#105 of 1551.1% of GDP#31 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#165 of 19169 subscriptions per 100 people#41 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#167 of 1850.22 tonnes a person#38 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#116 of 19222% forest#25 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#33 of 19062.9% renewable#29 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#190 of 19215.6% with electricity#52 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#102 of 19116.7 µg/m³#43 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#57 of 19123.1% of the land protected#17 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#12 of 19042.4% of the land arable#6 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#71 of 17617.5% of its available fresh water#16 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#76 of 1801,181 mm a year#19 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Malawi’s area, lit up on the map →
- Eritrea1.01×Malawi and Eritrea are almost exactly the same size.
- Nicaragua0.98×Malawi and Nicaragua are almost exactly the same size.
- North Korea0.98×Malawi and North Korea are almost exactly the same size.
- Benin1.03×Malawi is 3% larger than Benin.
- Honduras1.05×Malawi is 5% larger than Honduras.
- Liberia1.06×Malawi is 6% larger than Liberia.
How many times does Malawi fit into…
- Russia: about 144 times
- Canada: about 84 times
- United States: about 83 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Malawi shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Shire402 km
Summits
- Sapitwa3,002 m
Lakes
- Lake Malawi29,600 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Malawi. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Malawi
- How big is Malawi?
- Malawi covers 118,484 km², which makes it number 98 of 194 countries by area. About 22,216,120 people live there (2025), 188 per km².
- Is Malawi bigger than Eritrea?
- Malawi and Eritrea are almost exactly the same size. Malawi: 118,484 km²; Eritrea: 117,600 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Malawi?
- Malawi lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Malawi?
- Malawi shares a land border with Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia.