Forcibly displaced people in Malawi

Malawi: Forcibly displaced people was 60,492 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
60,492
Change on year
up 5.1%
World rank
93rd
of 180 countries
All-time high
60,492
in 2025
All-time low
15,094
in 2010
Years of data
16
2010–2025

Forcibly displaced people in Malawi, 2010–2025

20.0k30.0k40.0k50.0k60.0k2010201720252010: 15.1k2011: 16.8k2012: 16.7k2013: 16.9k2014: 20.4k2015: 23.5k2016: 30.4k2017: 35.0k2018: 36.9k2019: 44.4k2020: 48.0k2021: 52.4k2022: 56.4k2023: 52.9k2024: 57.5k2025: 60.5k

Source: Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Analysis

The most recent figure for forcibly displaced people in Malawi is 60,492, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.

The figure is up 5.1% on the previous year and up 157.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, forcibly displaced people in Malawi peaked at 60,492 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 15,094, in 2010.

Malawi ranks 93rd of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 25,605 15,094 44,380 10
2020s 54,634 48,021 60,492 6

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 90 Panama 64,109 compare
  2. 91 Israel 61,956 compare
  3. 92 El Salvador 61,510 compare
  4. 94 Togo 58,449 compare
  5. 95 Kyrgyzstan 56,999 compare
  6. 96 Angola 55,657 compare

See the full ranking of 227 places →

More social development data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is forcibly displaced people in Malawi?
Forcibly displaced people in Malawi was 60,492 in 2025, according to Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
What is the highest forcibly displaced people recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 60,492 in 2025.
What is the lowest forcibly displaced people recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 15,094 in 2010.
How does Malawi rank for forcibly displaced people?
Malawi ranks 93rd out of 180 countries with data for 2025.
Is forcibly displaced people rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is up 157.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Malawi data come from?
The figures come from Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), published as part of Forcibly displaced people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Forcibly displaced people
Source
Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
227 places, 3,518 data points, 2010–2025
Last refreshed

Forcibly displaced people are represented by the sum of (1) refugees (and people in a refugee-like situation) under the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), (2) refugees under the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), (3) asylum-seekers, (4) other people in need of international protection, and (5) internally displaced people (IDPs). Situations in which people are reported in more than one of these categories are accounted for, to the extent possible.