Healthy life expectancy at birth in Malawi
Malawi: Healthy life expectancy at birth was 54.67 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
54.67
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
159th
of 185 countries
All-time high
55.71
in 2020
All-time low
39.01
in 2000
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Healthy life expectancy at birth in Malawi, 2000–2021
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 54.67 for healthy life expectancy at birth in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and up 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, healthy life expectancy at birth in Malawi peaked at 55.71 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 39.01, in 2000.
Malawi ranks 159th of 185 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Healthy life expectancy at birth in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 39.01 | — |
| 2001 | 39.71 | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 40.53 | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 41.41 | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 42.3 | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 43.44 | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 44.79 | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 46.17 | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 47.65 | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 48.94 | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 49.93 | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 50.98 | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 52.13 | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 53.13 | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 53.82 | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 54.25 | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 54.59 | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 54.92 | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 55.26 | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 55.54 | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 55.71 | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 54.67 | -1.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 54.67 is above the median for low income countries, which is 54.56, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 54.67 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 54.75, 100% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 43.4 | 39.01 | 48.94 | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.46 | 49.93 | 55.54 | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.19 | 54.67 | 55.71 | 2 |
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)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 6,399 (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 healthy life expectancy at birth in Malawi?
- Healthy life expectancy at birth in Malawi was 54.67 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest healthy life expectancy at birth recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 55.71 in 2020.
- What is the lowest healthy life expectancy at birth recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.01 in 2000.
- How does Malawi rank for healthy life expectancy at birth?
- Malawi ranks 159th out of 185 countries with data for 2021.
- Is healthy life expectancy at birth rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Healthy life expectancy at birth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).