Malawi 2015-16

Table 17.1 Experience of physical violence
Percentage of women age 15-49 who have experienced physical violence since age 15 and percentage who have
experienced physical violence during the 12 months before the survey, according to background characteristics, Malawi
DHS 2015-16
Percentage who
have
experienced
physical violence
since age 15 1
Percentage who have experienced physical violence
in the past 12 months
Background
characteristic Often Sometimes
Often or
sometimes 2
Number of
women
Age
15-19 23.0 1.1 11.9 13.1 1,404
20-24 34.2 4.1 12.1 16.1 1,329
25-29 38.6 5.5 16.5 22.1 1,049
30-39 38.6 3.6 11.8 15.6 1,693
40-49 36.5 3.2 12.0 15.2 905
Religion
Anglican 33.4 3.1 12.4 15.6 1,162
Catholic 29.3 3.3 10.0 13.3 1,047
CCAP 3 32.4 1.7 14.9 16.6 150
Muslim 36.1 1.7 16.7 18.4 440
Seventh Day Adventist/
Baptist 37.2 4.1 13.7 17.8 2,743
Other Christian 27.7 2.8 9.9 12.9 802
No religion (65.8) (9.1) (27.5) (36.6) 33
Ethnic group
Chewa 31.2 2.9 11.6 14.5 2,202
Lomwe 40.2 6.3 14.9 21.3 558
Mang’anja 39.4 3.6 13.0 16.5 1,270
Ngoni 32.0 1.0 10.8 11.9 109
Nkhonde 31.3 3.8 11.6 15.5 881
Nyanja 37.7 4.8 17.5 22.3 207
Sena 58.9 3.2 18.6 21.8 58
Tonga 29.6 2.6 12.4 15.0 752
Tombuka 32.5 2.4 16.2 18.6 183
Yao 33.7 2.0 10.0 12.0 59
Other 30.9 2.9 16.1 19.0 100
Residence
Urban 38.0 3.3 12.4 15.6 1,180
Rural 33.0 3.5 12.7 16.3 5,199
Region
Northern 39.6 5.6 14.0 19.7 736
Central 32.6 3.0 11.5 14.6 2,672
Southern 33.8 3.3 13.4 16.7 2,970
Marital status
Never married 22.6 0.6 8.7 9.4 1,395
Married or living together 35.3 3.3 13.9 17.3 4,171
Divorced/separated/
widowed 46.9 8.6 13.2 21.8 813
Number of living
children
0 24.0 1.3 9.9 11.2 1,549
1-2 35.9 4.2 14.4 18.8 2,022
3-4 38.9 4.6 13.5 18.2 1,655
5+ 36.9 3.2 12.1 15.3 1,153
Employment
Employed for cash 37.2 4.6 12.9 17.7 1,665
Employed not for cash 35.9 3.1 12.6 15.8 2,600
Not employed 29.1 2.8 12.5 15.4 2,114
Education
No education 31.2 3.5 10.8 14.3 735
Primary 35.6 4.0 13.8 17.9 3,930
Secondary 30.7 2.2 10.1 12.5 1,490
More than secondary 36.0 0.6 15.1 15.8 223
Wealth quintile
Lowest 33.9 3.5 14.0 17.5 1,216
Second 33.4 4.5 13.3 18.0 1,214
Middle 32.4 3.4 12.8 16.2 1,209
Fourth 35.2 3.4 11.6 15.1 1,197
Highest 34.8 2.6 11.9 14.5 1,543
Total 34.0 3.4 12.7 16.2 6,379
Note: Figures in parentheses are based on 25-49 unweighted cases.
1
Includes violence in the past 12 months. For women who were married before age 15 and reported physical violence
only by their husband/partner, the violence could have occurred before age 15.
2
Includes women for whom frequency in the past 12 months is not known.
3
Church of Central Africa Presbyterian.
290 • Domestic Violence