Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Malawi
Malawi: Life expectancy at birth, by sex was 64.07 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
64.07 years
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
197th
of 236 countries
All-time high
64.07 years
in 2023
All-time low
30.89 years
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Malawi, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 64.07 years for life expectancy at birth, by sex in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 10.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, by sex in Malawi peaked at 64.07 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 30.89 years, in 1950.
Malawi ranks 197th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Malawi, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 30.89 years | — |
| 1951 | 31.08 years | +0.6% |
| 1952 | 31.23 years | +0.5% |
| 1953 | 31.44 years | +0.6% |
| 1954 | 31.6 years | +0.5% |
| 1955 | 31.88 years | +0.9% |
| 1956 | 32.17 years | +0.9% |
| 1957 | 32.43 years | +0.8% |
| 1958 | 32.81 years | +1.2% |
| 1959 | 33.2 years | +1.2% |
| 1960 | 33.38 years | +0.5% |
| 1961 | 33.66 years | +0.9% |
| 1962 | 33.9 years | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 34.12 years | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 34.13 years | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 34.18 years | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 34.26 years | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 34.34 years | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 34.54 years | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 34.77 years | +0.7% |
| 1970 | 35.11 years | +1.0% |
| 1971 | 35.7 years | +1.7% |
| 1972 | 36.18 years | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 36.89 years | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 37.72 years | +2.3% |
| 1975 | 38.49 years | +2.0% |
| 1976 | 39.31 years | +2.1% |
| 1977 | 40.14 years | +2.1% |
| 1978 | 41.03 years | +2.2% |
| 1979 | 41.71 years | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 42.29 years | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 42.69 years | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 42.88 years | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 43.03 years | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 42.87 years | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 42.67 years | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 42.46 years | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 42.15 years | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 41.95 years | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 41.95 years | -0.0% |
| 1990 | 42.09 years | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 42.1 years | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 42.29 years | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 42.37 years | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 42.55 years | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 42.61 years | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 42.73 years | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 42.81 years | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 42.81 years | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 43.52 years | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 44.59 years | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 45.67 years | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 46.6 years | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 47.89 years | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 49.36 years | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 50.65 years | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 51.83 years | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 52.98 years | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 53.94 years | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 54.8 years | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 55.63 years | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 56.51 years | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 57.35 years | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 58.07 years | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 58.8 years | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 59.4 years | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 60.12 years | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 60.77 years | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 61.04 years | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 61.58 years | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 61.68 years | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 61.34 years | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 62.67 years | +2.2% |
| 2023 | 64.07 years | +2.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 31.88 years | 30.89 years | 33.2 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 34.13 years | 33.38 years | 34.77 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 38.23 years | 35.11 years | 41.71 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 42.49 years | 41.95 years | 43.03 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 42.59 years | 42.09 years | 43.52 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 49.83 years | 44.59 years | 54.8 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.93 years | 55.63 years | 61.58 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.44 years | 61.34 years | 64.07 years | 4 |
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 50-54, male, annual growth rate 7.58 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, male, per capita 0.0123 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, annual growth rate 2.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per capita 0.0106 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, by sex in Malawi?
- Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Malawi was 64.07 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 64.07 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.89 years in 1950.
- How does Malawi rank for life expectancy at birth, by sex?
- Malawi ranks 197th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, by sex rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Life expectancy at birth, by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Period life expectancy at birth.