Malawi 2015-16

A total of 117,177 individuals
stayed overnight in the 26,361
sample households in the 2015-16
MDHS. Fifty-two percent (60,819)
were female, and 48% (56,358)
were male (Table 2.8). The
population pyramid in Figure 2.4
illustrates the distribution by 5-year
age groups and sex. The broad base
of the pyramid shows that Malawi’s
population is young, which is
typical of developing countries with
low life expectancy. Children under
age 15 represent 48% of the
household population, while
individuals age 65 and older
represent only 4%.
Table 2.9 shows that females head
3 in 10 households in Malawi.
Urban and rural households are, on average, of the similar size (4.3 and 4.5 persons, respectively). Overall,
33% of households in Malawi are caring for foster or orphaned children.
Trends: Similar to the current distribution of the household population, children under age 15 were 49%
of the population in 2010, with individuals age 65 and older at 4%. Average household size remained
essentially the same between 2010 and 2015-16 (4.6 versus 4.5 persons, respectively), while the
percentage of female-headed households has increased slightly from 28% in 2010 to 31% in 2015-16.
2.7 BIRTH REGISTRATION
Age
80+
75-79
70-74
65-69
60-64
55-59
50-54
45-49
40-44
35-39
30-34
25-29
20-24
15-19
10-14
5-9