Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) in Malawi
Malawi: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) was 67.56 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
67.56 years
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
172nd
of 218 countries
All-time high
67.56 years
in 2024
All-time low
34.99 years
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life expectancy at birth, total in Malawi, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, life expectancy at birth, total in Malawi stood at 67.56 years. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 9.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Malawi peaked at 67.56 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 34.99 years, in 1960.
Malawi ranks 172nd of 218 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 34.99 years | — |
| 1961 | 35.23 years | +0.7% |
| 1962 | 35.45 years | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 35.64 years | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 35.68 years | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 35.74 years | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 35.83 years | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 35.94 years | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 36.09 years | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 36.3 years | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 36.64 years | +0.9% |
| 1971 | 37.09 years | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 37.61 years | +1.4% |
| 1973 | 38.35 years | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 39.2 years | +2.2% |
| 1975 | 40.08 years | +2.3% |
| 1976 | 41.02 years | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 41.98 years | +2.3% |
| 1978 | 43 years | +2.4% |
| 1979 | 43.7 years | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 44.33 years | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 44.72 years | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 44.84 years | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 44.97 years | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 44.81 years | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 44.57 years | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 44.3 years | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 43.9 years | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 43.57 years | -0.8% |
| 1989 | 43.52 years | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 43.58 years | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 43.54 years | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 43.64 years | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 43.65 years | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 43.8 years | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 43.8 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 44.01 years | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 44.2 years | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 44.3 years | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 45.06 years | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 46.17 years | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 47.2 years | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 48.18 years | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 49.6 years | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 51.07 years | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 52.47 years | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 53.65 years | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 54.69 years | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 55.72 years | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 56.71 years | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 57.79 years | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 58.86 years | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 59.87 years | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 60.82 years | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 61.65 years | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 62.32 years | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 63.16 years | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 63.91 years | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 64.46 years | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 65 years | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 65.22 years | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 64.78 years | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 66.04 years | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 67.35 years | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 67.56 years | +0.3% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 67.56 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 63.84 years, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 67.56 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.26 years, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 35.69 years | 34.99 years | 36.3 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 39.87 years | 36.64 years | 43.7 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 44.35 years | 43.52 years | 44.97 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 43.96 years | 43.54 years | 45.06 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 51.55 years | 46.17 years | 56.71 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 61.78 years | 57.79 years | 65 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.19 years | 64.78 years | 67.56 years | 5 |
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)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in Malawi?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in Malawi was 67.56 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 67.56 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.99 years in 1960.
- How does Malawi rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- Malawi ranks 172nd out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.