Fertility rate: births per woman in Malawi
Malawi: Fertility rate: births per woman was 3.65 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
3.65 live births per woman
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
40th
of 236 countries
All-time high
7.52 live births per woman
in 1980
All-time low
3.65 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility rate: births per woman in Malawi, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 3.65 live births per woman for fertility rate: births per woman in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.9% on the previous year and down 23.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in Malawi peaked at 7.52 live births per woman in 1980 and was at its lowest, 3.65 live births per woman, in 2023.
Malawi ranks 40th 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.
Fertility rate: births per woman in Malawi, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6.82 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 6.84 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1952 | 6.84 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1953 | 6.85 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1954 | 6.8 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1955 | 6.84 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1956 | 6.89 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1957 | 6.92 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1958 | 6.96 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1959 | 7.01 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1960 | 7.04 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1961 | 7.07 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1962 | 7.09 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 7.13 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 7.11 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 7.13 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 7.17 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1967 | 7.21 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 7.26 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1969 | 7.27 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 7.29 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 7.31 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 7.33 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 7.34 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 7.34 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 7.36 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 7.39 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 7.41 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 7.43 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 7.46 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 7.52 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 7.49 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 7.45 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 7.36 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 1984 | 7.26 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1985 | 7.17 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 7.07 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 6.97 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1988 | 6.88 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1989 | 6.8 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1990 | 6.74 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 6.68 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 6.63 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 6.57 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 6.49 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 6.39 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 6.29 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 6.23 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 6.21 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 6.12 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 6 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 5.94 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 5.9 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 5.88 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 5.86 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 5.85 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 5.8 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 5.72 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 5.61 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 5.45 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 5.26 live births per woman | -3.5% |
| 2011 | 5.08 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 4.9 live births per woman | -3.6% |
| 2013 | 4.76 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 4.57 live births per woman | -4.0% |
| 2015 | 4.38 live births per woman | -4.0% |
| 2016 | 4.22 live births per woman | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 4.11 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 4.02 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 3.95 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 3.88 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 3.79 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 3.72 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 3.65 live births per woman | -1.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 3.65 live births per woman is below the median for low income countries, which is 4.19 live births per woman, 87% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 3.65 live births per woman is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4 live births per woman, 91% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.88 live births per woman | 6.8 live births per woman | 7.01 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 7.15 live births per woman | 7.04 live births per woman | 7.27 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.37 live births per woman | 7.29 live births per woman | 7.46 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.2 live births per woman | 6.8 live births per woman | 7.52 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.43 live births per woman | 6.12 live births per woman | 6.74 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.8 live births per woman | 5.45 live births per woman | 6 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.53 live births per woman | 3.95 live births per woman | 5.26 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.76 live births per woman | 3.65 live births per woman | 3.88 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More reference data data for Malawi
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1596 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3426 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5353 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.6012 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.87 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in Malawi?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in Malawi was 3.65 live births per woman in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 7.52 live births per woman in 1980.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.65 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Malawi rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- Malawi ranks 40th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.3%. 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 Fertility rate: births per woman. 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
Total fertility rate: the average number of children a woman would have if she experienced the year's age-specific birth rates throughout her childbearing years.