Malawi at a Glance

Malawi stretches some 900 kilometres from north to south and between 80 and 160 kilometres from east to west. The southern end of Africa's Great Rift Valley runs the length of the country, and Lake Malawi fills much of it: about 580 kilometres long, it is the third-largest lake in Africa and is shared with Tanzania and Mozambique. The Shire River drains the lake southwards to the Zambezi.

West and south of the lake the land rises to high plateaux and mountains — the Nyika and Viphya in the north, the Dedza highlands and Zomba Plateau, and the Mulanje Massif in the south, whose Sapitwa Peak reaches 3,002 metres and is the highest point in the country. Savannah woodland is the predominant vegetation, with evergreen forest on the mountains and along the rivers.

The climate is subtropical and shaped by altitude. There are two main seasons: a warm, wet season from November to April and a dry season from May to October. May to August is cool and dry, with July the mid-winter month; September and October are hot and dry before the rains return. The lakeshore and the Shire Valley are warmer than the highlands throughout the year.

Like Mauritius, Malawi lies in the southern hemisphere, so the cool, dry months fall at the same time of year in both countries.

Malawi counted 17,563,749 inhabitants at the 2018 Population and Housing Census of the National Statistical Office — 186 people per square kilometre, which makes it one of the more densely populated countries in Africa. The World Bank estimates the population at about 22.2 million in 2025. It is a young nation, and most Malawians live in rural areas.

The country is divided into three regions — Northern, Central and Southern. Its people are of Bantu origin and belong to many communities, among them the Chewa, Lomwe, Yao, Ngoni, Tumbuka, Sena, Tonga and Ngonde. Each has its own traditions of dance, music and craft, yet all share a strong sense of community and of belonging to one nation.

English and Chichewa are the languages of public life. Laws and official records are written in English, which is also the language of Parliament, business and education; Chichewa is understood almost everywhere. Chitumbuka is widely spoken in the north, Chiyao along the southern lakeshore, and Chilomwe and Chisena in the south.

Malawians practise their faiths freely. At the 2018 census about 77 per cent of the population were Christian and about 14 per cent Muslim.

Malawi is a presidential republic and a multi-party democracy. Its Constitution, in force since 1994, divides the powers of the state among three independent branches: the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary.

The Executive is headed by the President, who is Head of State, Head of Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Malawi Defence Force. The President is elected directly by the people for a term of five years and governs with the Vice-President and the Cabinet. The Vice-President is the Right Honourable Dr Jane Ansah, SC.

The Legislature is the Parliament of Malawi. Its National Assembly has 229 members, each elected in a single-member constituency for five years, and is presided over by the Speaker. The number of constituencies rose from 193 to 229 at the general election of September 2025.

The Judiciary is independent and is headed by the Chief Justice. It comprises the Supreme Court of Appeal, the High Court and the subordinate courts. Malawi's legal system is based on English common law.

For administration the country is divided into the Northern, Central and Southern Regions and 28 districts.

The national anthem is “Mlungu dalitsani Malaŵi” — in English, “O God Bless Our Land of Malawi”. Words and music were written by Michael-Fredrick Paul Sauka, and the anthem was adopted at independence in 1964.

It is a prayer for the nation: for peace, for unity among its people and for freedom from hunger, disease and envy. It is sung in Chichewa and in English.