Background and Origins
Hominid and stone remains dating back more than one million years have been identified in Malawi. Archaeological evidence also indicates early humans inhabited the area 50,000 to 60,000 years ago. Human remains recovered from a site dating back 10,000 years show physical characteristics similar to people living in the Horn of Africa. At another site, dated 1500 before the common era, or B.C.E., the remains possessed features resembling Bushman people.
Bantu-speaking peoples, ancestors of the Malawians, migrated from the north, the southern region of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 1400 in the common era or C.E. By 1500 C.E., two divisions of Bantu peoples had established a centralized kingdom stretching beyond today's national borders. This pre-colonial Empire of Malawi covered much more than the current area of the country and included Chewa, Tumbuka and Tonga peoples.
Population
Reflecting the anthropological origins noted above, almost all Malawians are Africans descended from Bantu peoples. Indeed, Malawi derives its name from "Maravi," the term used for an ancient Bantu culture. Chichewa and English are the official languages. Most of the population is Christian, and about 20 percent are Muslim. Of the Christian population, the majority is Protestant, while the rest are Roman Catholics. Many Malawians combine Christian or Muslim beliefs with traditional religious practices.
The current ethnic composition of the country is mixed. The largest group is the Chewa, found mostly in the central region. Smaller groups include the Ngoni, whose roots are in Northern Natal; the Lomwe, Nyanja and Sena, primarily in the southern region in the country; the largely Muslim Yao; and the Tumbuka and Tonga, disproportionately located in the northern region. The latter were some of the primary beneficiaries of missionary education efforts, which explains the disproportionate numbers of northerners in the colonial administration and later in the nationalist movement. Small and prosperous Asian and European communities also exist.
The salience of ethnic identity among the African population should not be overstated. Although individuals retain group affiliations by virtue of language and home area, members of the various groups interact considerably. Intermarriages are relatively common, especially in urban areas. Political identifications have revolved more around regional than ethnic lines.
The population is about 13.6 million, according to recent estimates. Until 1994, Mozambican refugees alone numbered more than one million. Malawi is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa, at 84.7 per square kilometers, yet with only 10 percent living in towns, it is one of the least urbanized. Half the population lives in the southern region; only 11 percent in the north. The average annual population growth rate at 2.39 percent in recent years.
Health and Welfare
Between 14 and 15 percent of Malawi citizens are estimated to be HIV-positive. Relevant statistics indicate that HIV/AIDS has caused over tens of thousands of deaths per year and has created 500,000 orphans in Malawi since the first case was noted in 1984. Up to 900,000 people are believed to be living with the virus. The virus also affects 40,000 children, and a further 390,000 have lost their mother or both parents as a result of the virus. Adding a further blight on Malawi's children is that 30 percent of them suffer from malnutrition. In fact, the quality of health and welfare in Malawi was among the lowest in Africa, and indeed, the world for a long time. That said, the infant mortality rate in recent years is 90.55 deaths per 1,000 births -- a reduction from previous years. Life expectancy for Malawi, according to recently released figures, is 43.45 years of age on average.
The average literacy rate in Malawi is 62.7 percent for the total population. This shows a relatively high average rate of literacy for the population in comparison with other less developed countries. That said, it should be noted that the average rate belies a vast disparity between males and females. Whereas literacy among men is 76.1 percent, among women it is 49.8 percent.
About 4.8 percent of GDP in this country is spent on health expenditures; about 4.2 percent of GDP is spent on educational expenditures.
Human Development
As such, Malawi ranks low in the human development category of the Human Development Index (HDI). This index is a notable measure of human development, which is formulated by the United Nations Development Program. The HDI is a composite of several indicators, which measure a country's achievements in three main areas of human development: longevity, knowledge and education, as well as economic standard of living. In a ranking of 169 countries, the HDI places Malawi in the low human development category, at 153rd place. Although the concept of human development is complicated and cannot be properly captured by values and indices, the HDI, which is calculated and updated annually, offers a wide-ranging assessment of human development in certain countries, not based solely upon traditional economic and financial indicators.
Written by Dr. Denise Youngblood Coleman, Editor in Chief at www.countrywatch.com. See Bibliography for list of research sources.