Birth rate vs. death rate in Malawi
Malawi: Birth rate vs. death rate was 31.38 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
31.38 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
27th
of 236 countries
All-time high
54.38 births per 1,000 people
in 1963
All-time low
31.38 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Birth rate vs. death rate in Malawi, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
In 2023, birth rate vs. death rate in Malawi stood at 31.38 births per 1,000 people. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and down 16.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate vs. death rate in Malawi peaked at 54.38 births per 1,000 people in 1963 and was at its lowest, 31.38 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
Malawi ranks 27th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Birth rate vs. death rate in Malawi, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 49.47 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 49.99 births per 1,000 people | +1.0% |
| 1952 | 50.45 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1953 | 50.85 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1954 | 50.81 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1955 | 51.38 births per 1,000 people | +1.1% |
| 1956 | 51.94 births per 1,000 people | +1.1% |
| 1957 | 52.42 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1958 | 52.91 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1959 | 53.38 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1960 | 53.73 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1961 | 53.97 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1962 | 54.18 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 54.38 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1964 | 54.19 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1965 | 54.11 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1966 | 54.26 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 54.28 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 54.36 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1969 | 54.14 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 53.96 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 53.7 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1972 | 53.46 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 53.2 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 52.89 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 52.72 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 52.57 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 52.37 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 52.36 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1979 | 52.44 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 52.7 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 52.38 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 52.03 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1983 | 51.39 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1984 | 50.76 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1985 | 50.36 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 49.79 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 48.61 births per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 1988 | 48.75 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 48.45 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 48.44 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 48.39 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 48.06 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 48.41 births per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 48.41 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 46.84 births per 1,000 people | -3.3% |
| 1996 | 46.21 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 46 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 45.86 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 45.42 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 44.57 births per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 44.18 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 43.95 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 43.91 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 43.97 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 44 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 43.76 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 43.27 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 42.56 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 41.74 births per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 40.69 births per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 39.69 births per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 38.56 births per 1,000 people | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 37.72 births per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 36.5 births per 1,000 people | -3.2% |
| 2015 | 35.3 births per 1,000 people | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 34.23 births per 1,000 people | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 33.68 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 33.23 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 32.9 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 32.54 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 32.07 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 31.74 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 31.38 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 31.38 births per 1,000 people is below the median for low income countries, which is 32.09 births per 1,000 people, 98% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 31.38 births per 1,000 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 31.17 births per 1,000 people, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 51.36 births per 1,000 people | 49.47 births per 1,000 people | 53.38 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 54.16 births per 1,000 people | 53.73 births per 1,000 people | 54.38 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 52.97 births per 1,000 people | 52.36 births per 1,000 people | 53.96 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 50.52 births per 1,000 people | 48.45 births per 1,000 people | 52.7 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 47.2 births per 1,000 people | 45.42 births per 1,000 people | 48.44 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 43.59 births per 1,000 people | 41.74 births per 1,000 people | 44.57 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.25 births per 1,000 people | 32.9 births per 1,000 people | 40.69 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.93 births per 1,000 people | 31.38 births per 1,000 people | 32.54 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 24 Cote d'Ivoire 31.99 births per 1,000 people compare
- 25 Ethiopia 31.9 births per 1,000 people compare
- 26 Burkina Faso 31.64 births per 1,000 people compare
- 28 Liberia 30.96 births per 1,000 people compare
- 29 Congo 30.63 births per 1,000 people compare
- 30 Sierra Leone 30.6 births per 1,000 people compare
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)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 6,399 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.61 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0714 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0718 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate vs. death rate in Malawi?
- Birth rate vs. death rate in Malawi was 31.38 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate vs. death rate recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 54.38 births per 1,000 people in 1963.
- What is the lowest birth rate vs. death rate recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.38 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Malawi rank for birth rate vs. death rate?
- Malawi ranks 27th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate vs. death rate rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate vs. death rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of live births in a year per 1,000 people in the population.