Malawi — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Malawi: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Malawi is in Southern Africa, east of Zambia, west and north of Mozambique. It covers 118,484 sq km. Terrain: narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains. Climate: sub-tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November).
| 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% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 5.1% (2024 est.) |
| 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 years (2025 est.) |
| 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 |
Malawi’s GDP is $35.425 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $11.009 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 1.8% (2024 est.). See where Malawi ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 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.
- What our model rewards: unemployment near 5.1% — work for whoever wants it
- What drags it down: a current-account deficit of $2 billion (20.7% of GDP) — living beyond its means; a median age of 19 — a nation of children, its workforce still in the classroom
Hydropower, Uranium, Coal, Bauxite.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 14% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 4.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 0.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 92.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 1.792 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 11.1 TWh (2023) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 525 kWh per person (2023) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2023.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $1.526 billion (2023 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $3.995 billion (2023 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Deficit of $2.5 billion (2023), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
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 |
Major airports
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. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Malawi.
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Malawi — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Malawi's power score?
Malawi has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.