Age dependency ratio in Malawi
Malawi: Age dependency ratio was 74.6% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Age dependency ratio in Malawi, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in % of working-age population.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 74.6% for age dependency ratio in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 20.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age dependency ratio in Malawi peaked at 100.4% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 74.6%, in 2025.
Malawi ranks 29th of 215 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 86.1% | 84.5% | 89.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 91.7% | 89.8% | 93.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 96.2% | 94.1% | 97.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 97.5% | 97.1% | 97.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 99.4% | 97.9% | 100.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 94.1% | 86.7% | 99.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 79.4% | 74.6% | 84.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More health data for Malawi
- Age population, age 13, female, interpolated 281,167 (2025)
- Age population, age 15, female, interpolated 276,241 (2025)
- Age population, age 14, male, interpolated 276,497 (2025)
- Age population, age 14, female, interpolated 278,971 (2025)
- Age population, age 13, male, interpolated 279,081 (2025)
- Age population, age 12, female, interpolated 283,499 (2025)
- Age population, age 11, female, interpolated 284,911 (2025)
- Age population, age 11, male, interpolated 283,873 (2025)
- Age population, age 15, male, interpolated 273,176 (2025)
- Age population, age 12, male, interpolated 281,852 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age dependency ratio in Malawi?
- Age dependency ratio in Malawi was 74.6% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest age dependency ratio recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 100.4% in 2007.
- What is the lowest age dependency ratio recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 74.6% in 2025.
- How does Malawi rank for age dependency ratio?
- Malawi ranks 29th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age dependency ratio rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Age dependency ratio (% of working-age population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Age dependency ratio is the ratio of dependents--people younger than 15 or older than 64--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.