Malawi 
Facts
Population: 13,603,181
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.).
Age structure: 0-14 years: 46.1% (male 3,143,724/female 3,130,937)
15-64 years: 51.2% (male 3,491,114/female 3,474,209)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 155,954/female 207,243) (2007 est.).
Population growth rate: 2.383% (2007 est.).
Birth rate: 42.09 births/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Death rate: 18.25 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.004 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.005 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.753 male(s)/female
total population: 0.997 male(s)/female (2007 est.).
Infant mortality rate: total: 92.1 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 96.27 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 87.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.).
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 42.98 years
male: 43.35 years
female: 42.61 years (2007 est.).
Total fertility rate: 5.74 children born/woman (2007 est.).
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 14.2% (2003 est.).
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 900,000 (2003 est.).
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 84,000 (2003 est.).
Nationality: noun: Malawian(s)
adjective: Malawian.
Ethnic groups: Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European.
Religions: Christian 79.9%, Muslim 12.8%, other 3%, none 4.3% (1998 census).
Languages: Chichewa 57.2% (official), Chinyanja 12.8%, Chiyao 10.1%, Chitumbuka 9.5%, Chisena 2.7%, Chilomwe 2.4%, Chitonga 1.7%, other 3.6% (1998 census).
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 62.7%
male: 76.1%
female: 49.8% (2003 est.).
GDP (purchasing power parity): $8.272 billion (2006 est.).
GDP - real growth rate: 8.5% (2006 est.).
GDP - per capita (PPP): $600 (2006 est.).
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 35.4%
industry: 17.6%
services: 47% (2006 est.).
Labor force: 4.5 million (2001 est.).
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 90%
industry and services: 10% (2003 est.).
Population below poverty line: 53% (2004).
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%.
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 13.9% (2006).
Unemployment rate: NA%.
Budget: revenues: $818.4 million
expenditures: $895.9 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.).
Agriculture - products: tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses, groundnuts, Macadamia nuts; cattle, goats.
Industries: tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods.
Industrial production growth rate: 6.4% (2006 est.).
Electricity - production: 1.293 billion kWh (2004).
Electricity - consumption: 1.202 billion kWh (2004).
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004).
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004).
Exports: $513.1 million f.o.b. (2006 est.).
Exports - commodities: tobacco 53%, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products, apparel.
Exports - partners: US 17.8%, South Africa 11.2%, Egypt 7.6%, Germany 6.9%, Netherlands 6.8%, Japan 4.8%, Russia 4.6%, Mozambique 4.3%, UK 4.2% (2005).
Imports: $767.9 million f.o.b. (2006 est.).
Imports - commodities: food, petroleum products, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment.
Imports - partners: South Africa 36.3%, Zambia 9%, Zimbabwe 7.6%, Mozambique 7%, India 6.7%, Tanzania 4.8% (2005).
Debt - external: $982.4 million (2006 est.).
Economic aid - recipient: $401.5 million (2001).
Currency (code): Malawian kwacha (MWK).
Exchange rates: Malawian kwachas per US dollar - 135.96 (2006), 108.894 (2005), 108.898 (2004), 97.433 (2003), 76.687 (2002).
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June.
Statistics: C.I.A. World Factbook. Updated: July 20, 2007.
Press
Daily News
(Government-controlled), Blantyre
Daily Times, The
(Daily Newspaper), Blantyre
Malawi News
(Weekly Publication), Blantyre
Malawi News Agency
(Government-controlled), Blantyre
(Daily Newspaper), Blantyre
http://www.nationmalawi.com/
Malawi in the News
The debate over genetically modified food aid has put starving Africans in the center of a global trade dispute. Meron Tesfa Michael reviews the debate in the African press.
Meron Tesfa Michael reports that corruption and mismanagement may be as much to blame for Malawi's famine as bad weather.
Americas 
