Share of single-parent households in Malawi
Malawi: Share of single-parent households was 14.7% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Share of single-parent households in Malawi, 1987–2019
Source: United Nations (2022) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of single-parent households in Malawi is 14.7%, measured in 2019. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.
That represents a change of up 40.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of single-parent households in Malawi peaked at 14.7% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 9.4%, in 2004.
Malawi ranks 6th of 70 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 12.3% | 12.3% | 12.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 10.7% | 10.4% | 11.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 10.1% | 9.4% | 10.6% | 4 |
| 2010s | 11.9% | 10.3% | 14.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 3 Jamaica 16.2% compare
- 4 Costa Rica 15.7% compare
- 5 Dominican Republic 15.0% compare
- 7 Rwanda 14.5% compare
- 8 Belarus 14.1% compare
- 9 Democratic Republic of Congo 13.8% compare
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 share of single-parent households in Malawi?
- Share of single-parent households in Malawi was 14.7% in 2019, according to United Nations (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of single-parent households recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 14.7% in 2019.
- What is the lowest share of single-parent households recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.4% in 2004.
- How does Malawi rank for share of single-parent households?
- Malawi ranks 6th out of 70 countries with data for 2019.
- Is share of single-parent households rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 40.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations (2022) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of single-parent households. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of households comprised of a single parent and his or her children (biological, step, and adopted/foster children), irrespective of children’s ages, and no one else