Number of children under 5 in Malawi
Malawi: Number of children under 5 was 3.08 million people in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Number of children under 5 in Malawi, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of children under 5 in Malawi is 3.08 million people, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of children under 5 in Malawi peaked at 3.08 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 546,069 people, in 1952.
Malawi ranks 48th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 578,414 people | 546,069 people | 643,316 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 763,797 people | 665,168 people | 862,690 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.01 million people | 885,893 people | 1.16 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.44 million people | 1.21 million people | 1.71 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.91 million people | 1.78 million people | 2.03 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.33 million people | 2.07 million people | 2.65 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.84 million people | 2.71 million people | 2.91 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.01 million people | 2.94 million people | 3.08 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More reference data data for Malawi
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.0372 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.606 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.3659 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.9529 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -0.5269 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 1,313 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of children under 5 in Malawi?
- Number of children under 5 in Malawi was 3.08 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of children under 5 recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 3.08 million people in 2023.
- What is the lowest number of children under 5 recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 546,069 people in 1952.
- How does Malawi rank for number of children under 5?
- Malawi ranks 48th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of children under 5 rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Number of children under 5. 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
The total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-4.