Median age in Malawi
Malawi: Median age was 17.58 years in 2023. ▼ Falling
Median age in Malawi, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 17.58 years for median age in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 11.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, median age in Malawi peaked at 17.58 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 15.65 years, in 1998.
That places Malawi 220th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 16.67 years | 16.14 years | 17.06 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 17.24 years | 17.06 years | 17.37 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 16.49 years | 16.25 years | 16.92 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.25 years | 16.19 years | 16.42 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.84 years | 15.65 years | 16.21 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.71 years | 15.66 years | 15.72 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.03 years | 15.65 years | 16.7 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.23 years | 16.9 years | 17.58 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More reference data data for Malawi
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.1976 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 3.65 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 3.65 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 3.65 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.517 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate -0.1463 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 54.45 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate -0.1094 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 54.93 0-100 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 59.4 0-100 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is median age in Malawi?
- Median age in Malawi was 17.58 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest median age recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 17.58 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest median age recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.65 years in 1998.
- How does Malawi rank for median age?
- Malawi ranks 220th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is median age rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Median age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The age that divides the population into two halves of equal size — half are younger and half are older.