The Republic of Malawi
Isabella Lucero Hunt
AP Human Geography
Period 8
Ms. Rich
December 11th, 2018
General Overview
The Republic of Malawi, located in East Sub-Saharan Africa, is a small landlocked country in comparison to neighbors; the Republic of Malawi is bordered by Mozambique in the south and east, Tanzania in the north, and Zambia in the west. The Republic of Malawi’s terrain is described as a “narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains,” most of this, according to data, is used for agricultural purposes (The World Factbook).
For reference, the size of the Republic of Malawi is roughly equivalent to that of Pennsylvania (The World Factbook). As such, the Republic of Malawi’s population of 19,196,246 is quite large in comparison to that of Pennsylvania, roughly 7 million people larger (Malawi).
More specific data regarding the Republic of Malawi’s population indicates that the population is made up of mostly 10 ethnic groups; Chewa, Lomwe, Yao, Ngoni, Tumbuka, Sena, Mang'anja, Tonga, Nyanja, and Nkhonde. Recently, these ethnic groups have engaged in conflict from Hutu and Tutsi refugees from the nearby countries of Rwanda and Burundi.
The Republic of Malawi was a British protectorate of Nyasaland, prior to 1964, but became known as the independent nation of the Republic of Malawi from there on (Malawi). Demographically, the Republic of Malawi has faced an aids crisis since its development as on official nation. As such, it has ongoing issues with medicinal access and health centers.
Unrelated, but still of import, the adult population is 61.3% literate, quite low in comparison to world average (Statistics). This statistic is indicative of low educational access within the Republic of Malawi, however, 73% of youth are literate, which indicates a trend towards increased access to education (Statistics).
Overall, the country of the Republic of Malawi seems to be engaging in progressive change in medicine, education, the economy and many other areas.
Population Pyramids
A population pyramid is a visual aid used to represent demographic data. Population pyramids, though simplistic in their nature, visualize important data in an incredibly foretelling way. For instance, population pyramids are excellent at depicting (1) which stage a given country is in the demographic transition, (2) a given country’s gender ratio, and (3) a given dependency ratio.
Figure 1 Current population pyramid from 2018
The population pyramid pictured above is representative of current data from 2018 and indicates that the Republic of Malawi is in stage two of the demographic transition model. Accordingly, the dependency ratio of youth to workforce is quite high, which indicates a high burden on the working population to provide for the youth demographic, specifically in the case of the Republic of Malawi. These findings are consistent with population data of stage two countries in the demographic transition model.
Figure 2 Predicted population pyramid for 2050 Figure 3 Predicted population pyramid for 2100
The population pyramids pictured above are representative of predicted data in the year 2050 and the year 2100 and indicate that the Republic of Malawi will undergo massive population changes in the near future; according to Figure 3, by the year 2100 the country’s dependency ratio should be much lower than it is currently. From this predicted data it can be inferred that the Republic of Malawi will complete the demographic transition model and become a stage four country.
Population Trends
According to the 2018 World Population Data Sheet, the crude birth rate is at 34, while the crude death rate is at 7 and infant mortality at 42. These statistics corroborate the above claim which stated the Republic of Malawi is currently a stage two country, on account of both its population pyramid and the aforementioned data. Meanwhile, and also according to the 2018 World Population Data Sheet, the natural increase rate lies at 2.6, net migration at -1, and life expectancy at 61 for males and 66 for females. In the future, I speculate that the natural increase rate will decrease, while net migration and life expectancy increase, as is consistently associated with most countries farther along in the demographic transition model.
To explain further, crude birth rates will drop as a result of women's empowerment and access to family planning, phenomenons consistent with more developed countries. Similarly, net migration and life expectancy will increase; greater economic opportunity acts as a pull factor for immigration and access to medicine increases life expectancy. Such changes are consistent with later stages in the demographic transition model.
Treatment of Women
Gender Based Violence is still a huge problem in the Republic of Malawi. In 2014, USAID included the Republic of Malawi as one of “35 [Gender Based Violence] priority countries due to the high rates of child marriage in the country.” In short, the Republic of Malawi’s ‘big issue’ is trying to prevent the child marriage– as the rate is so high– and also empower and educate females.
In regards to education and empowering women and girls in the Republic of Malawi, USAID stated that “The attrition rate for girls in Malawian schools is extremely high, and the consequences of girls leaving school early are profound”. Data shows that if access to education, and prolonged educational attendance is actualized for women, there is an expected increase in wages, life expectancy and fertility. Additionally, according to the 2010 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey [conducted by USAID] , ‘51 percent of men and 38 percent of women ages 20-24 had completed primary school, showing substantial attrition, particularly among girls. Out of every 100 girls who begin Standard 1, only about three will enter into secondary education. Of those three, only one will enter university.”
In conclusion, in regards to treatment of women within the Republic of Malawi, women's education is subpar in comparison to that of the male population; the education gap between males and females is pervasive. Accordingly, in respect to rights and treatment of both women and young girls, the Republic of Malawi is less progressive than most third and fourth stage countries. While women are allowed to vote and run for office in the country, girls are still forced into child marriages and have less rights and freedoms than their male counterparts.
Diseases
As a country in stage two of the demographic transition model, the Republic of Malawi lacks infrastructure for medicinal care. As such, the Republic of Malawi is highly impacted by AIDS/HIV and Tuberculosis; it is there number one cause of death. Following closely behind is diarrheal diseases and malaria. The Center for Disease Control estimates that the Republic of Malawi has over 1.1 million people infected with AIDS/HIV and Tuberculosis. Accordingly, the biggest medical effort currently taking place within the Republic of Malawi is to combat AIDS/HIV and Tuberculosis. The Center for Disease Control is also working on better combating malaria, but in relative comparison to AIDS/HIV epidemic within the Republic of Malawi it is not a huge problem for the country. The treatments the Center for Disease Control and World Health Organization are giving to combat aids is bringing down the infected rate of the population significantly. This is indicative of a country nearing change in the demographic transition model.
Political Climate
The Republic of Malawi is a Presidential Republic with 28 districts. the Republic of Malawi’s legal system is based off of English common law and customary law. As aforementioned in the introduction, in 1891, the area was colonised by the British and given the name of Nyasaland. In 1964, Nyasaland became an independent country under Queen Elizabeth II and two years later became a republic, the Republic of Malawi.
As of right now, the Republic of Malawi is in a dispute over the boundary of lake Nyasa and the meandering Songwe River with Tanzania. The Republic of Malawi contends the border of their country goes all the way up to the Tanzania Shore line, while Tanzania believes the border of the two countries lies in the middle of the lake (The World Factbook). This conflict ignited again in 2012 when the Republic of Malawi gave drilling rights to a british oil company to drill in the middle of the lake. When could cause significant issues and maybe even violent conflicts in the future (The World Factbook). The battle over the lake is regarding land rights as well as resources, meaning a war or skirmish is a two-front issue (The World Factbook).
Analysis and Conclusion
Based off of the aforementioned research, I contend that the Republic of Malawi will face a major overpopulation burden in the immediate future, but by the year 2050– which is relatively close– the Republic of Malawi will be transitioning into higher stages of the demographic transition model. As such, it is expected that Malawi’s dependency ratio will decrease, spurring economic growth which will in turn allow greater access to medicine and education. As educational access increases– especially for women– birth rates are proven to drop, and as such, the population will no longer be in danger.
Future Actions
Currently, it is imperative for the Republic of Malawi to decrease its natural birth rate. To effectuate this, national policies, such as mandated education in family planning and access to contraceptives must be enacted. Moreover, the Republic of Malawi– and the NGOs that fund this– need to continue their trend towards more equal educational access for women– as crude birth rates, and therefore population, decreases as women become more educated and more empowered.
Bibliography
"Malawi." CultureGrams Online Edition, ProQuest, 2018,
online.culturegrams.com/world/world_country.php?cid=95&cn=Malawi. Accessed 10
December 2018.
“The World Factbook: Malawi.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 1
Feb. 2018, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mi.html.
2018 World Population Data Sheet. Population Reference Bureau,
www.prb.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/2018_WPDS.pdf.
“Statistics.” UNICEF, 27 Dec. 2013, www.unicef.org/infobycountry/malawi_statistics.html.
“MALAWI GENDER EQUALITY FACT SHEET.” Fact Sheet Malawi, U.S. Agency for
International Development, 26 Sept. 2016, www.usaid.gov/malawi/fact-sheets/malawi-gender-equality-fact-sheet.