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Case Study : Malawi : Country Profile

Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule, the country held multiparty elections in 1994 under a provisional constitution, which took full effect the following year. National multiparty elections were held again in 1999.

Location: Southern Africa, East of Zambia

Area: Total: 118,480 sq km
Water: 24,400 sq km
Land: 94,080 sq km

PEOPLE

Population: 11,651,239
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2003 est.)

Age Structure:
0-14 years: 46.8% (male 2,748,058; female 2,698,052)
15-64 years: 50.5% (male 2,911,892; female 2,973,723)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 128,722; female 190,792) (2003 est.)

Median Age:
Total: 16.4 years
Male: 16.1 years
Female: 16.7 years (2002)

Population Growth Rate: 2.21% (2003 est.)

Birth Rate: 44.7 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death Rate: 22.64 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex Ratio:
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate:
Total: 105.15 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 100.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Male: 109.36 deaths/1,000 live births

Life Expectancy at Birth:
Total population: 37.98 years
Male: 37.57 years
Female: 38.39 years (2003 est.)

Total Fertility Rate:
6.1 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 15% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 850,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 80,000 (2001 est.)

Nationality: Noun: Malawian(s)
Adjective: Malawian

Ethnic Groups:
Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European

Religions: Protestant 55%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 3%, other 2%

Languages: English (official), Chichewa (official), other languages important regionally

Literacy: Definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 62.7% male: 76.1% female: 49.8% (2003 est.)

Source: CIA - The World Fact book (last updated on 1 August 2003)
http://www.cia.gov

Country Profile
Government of Malawi
Economic Overview
Child Rights in Malawi
Education and Child Rights
Organisation and Agencies
Projects and Good Practices

 

Malawi Country Profile

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