Indicator	Value
Total population	21,700,000 peopleUN DESA WPP [2024] 21,660,000 people·World Bank WDI [2024] 21,660,000 people
Median age	17.8 yearsUN DESA WPP [2024]
Life expectancy	67.4–67.6 yearsWorld Bank WDI [2024] 67.56 years·UNDP HDI [2023] 67.35 years
Ethnic groups	Chewa 34.3%, Lomwe 18.8%, Yao 13.2%, Ngoni 10.4%, Tumbuka 9.2%, Sena 3.8%, Mang'anja 3.2%, Tonga 1.8%, Nyanja 1.8%, Nkhonde 1%, other 2.2%, foreign 0.3% (2018 est.)CIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive
Languages	English (official), Chewa (dominant), Lambya, Lomwe, Ngoni, Nkhonde, Nyakyusa, Nyanja, Sena, Tonga, Tumbuka, Yao; note: Chewa and Nyanja are mutually intelligible dialects; Nkhonde and Nyakyusa are mutually intelligible dialectsCIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive
Religions	Protestant 33.5% (includes Church of Central Africa Presbyterian 14.2%, Seventh Day Adventist/Baptist 9.4%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Anglican 2.3%), Roman Catholic 17.2%, other Christian 26.6%, Muslim 13.8%, traditionalist 1.1%, other 5.6%, none 2.1% (2018 est.)CIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive
Urbanization	18.3% of total population (2023)CIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive
Population growth	2.58 %World Bank WDI [2024]
Birth rate	31.1 per 1,000World Bank WDI [2024]
Death rate	5.29 per 1,000World Bank WDI [2024]
Urban population	17.3 %World Bank WDI [2024]
Languages (structured)	Bemba (Zambia) / Fipa / Kinga / Kisi / Kokola / Lambya / Lolo / Makhuwa-Shirima / Malawi Lomwe / Malawi Sena / Malawian Sign Language / Manda-Matumba / Marenje / Mozambique Lomwe / Mpoto / Mwera (Nyasa) / Ndali / Nyakyusa-Ngonde / Nyamwanga / Nyanja / Nyiha (Malawi) / Nyiha (Tanzania) / Nyika (Malawi and Zambia) / Nyungwe / Sena / Takwane / Tonga (Nyasa) / Tumbuka / YaoGlottolog [2026]