Age dependency ratio, young in Malawi
Malawi: Age dependency ratio, young was 70.0% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Age dependency ratio, young in Malawi, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in % of working-age population.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 70.0% for age dependency ratio, young in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.4% on the previous year and down 20.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio, young in Malawi peaked at 92.4% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 70.0%, in 2025.
That places Malawi 26th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
Age dependency ratio, young in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of working-age population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 79.9% | — |
| 1961 | 79.4% | -0.6% |
| 1962 | 79.0% | -0.5% |
| 1963 | 79.1% | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 79.5% | +0.5% |
| 1965 | 80.1% | +0.7% |
| 1966 | 81.0% | +1.1% |
| 1967 | 81.8% | +1.0% |
| 1968 | 82.6% | +1.0% |
| 1969 | 83.5% | +1.0% |
| 1970 | 84.2% | +0.9% |
| 1971 | 84.9% | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 85.5% | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 85.9% | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 86.3% | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 86.7% | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 87.0% | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 87.2% | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 87.3% | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 87.6% | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 88.0% | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 88.4% | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 88.8% | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 89.2% | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 89.4% | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 89.5% | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 89.6% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 88.9% | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 88.4% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 89.0% | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 89.5% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 90.1% | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 90.5% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 90.9% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 91.2% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 91.3% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 91.2% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 91.1% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 91.1% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 91.3% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 91.4% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 91.5% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 91.6% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 91.7% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 91.9% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 92.0% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 92.2% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 92.3% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 92.4% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 92.3% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 92.1% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 91.8% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 91.3% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 90.5% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 89.5% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 88.2% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 86.7% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 85.1% | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 83.4% | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 81.5% | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 79.6% | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 77.6% | -2.5% |
| 2022 | 75.6% | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 73.7% | -2.6% |
| 2024 | 71.8% | -2.5% |
| 2025 | 70.0% | -2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 80.6% | 79.0% | 83.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 86.3% | 84.2% | 87.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 88.9% | 88.0% | 89.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 90.8% | 89.5% | 91.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 91.9% | 91.4% | 92.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 88.0% | 81.5% | 92.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 74.7% | 70.0% | 79.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More health data for Malawi
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8368 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9312 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 856.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 6,399 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 1.08 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.2005 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 1.18 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.2007 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio, young in Malawi?
- Age dependency ratio, young in Malawi was 70.0% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio, young recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 92.4% in 2008.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio, young recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.0% in 2025.
- How does Malawi rank for age dependency ratio, young?
- Malawi ranks 26th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio, young rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Age dependency ratio, young (% of working-age population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Age dependency ratio, young, is the ratio of younger dependents--people younger than 15--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.