The Malawian population consists of many different indigenous ethnic groups: the Chewa, the Nyanja, the Tumbuka, the Yao, the Lomwe, the Sena, the Tonga, the Ngoni and the Ngonde. Asians and Europeans also live there. The main indigenous language is Chichewa, an official language spoken by over 57% of the population. English is also an official language in Malawi. About 80% of the population is Christian. The Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Central Africa make up the largest Christian groups. Anglicans, Baptists, Evangelists and Adventists are much smaller in number. About 13% of the population is Muslim. (source Wikipedia)
Infant mortality is high and life expectancy at birth is 50 years. Like the rest of Africa, Malawi has a huge potential of young people.
​Economy
​Africa is prominent in the ranking of the poorest countries in the world, according to the analysis of Global Finance Magazine.
The ranking was published in February 2017 and is based on data from the International Monetary Fund. The Global Finance Magazine ranks by national income (gross domestic product). The method of purchasing power parity (purchasing power parity) was used for this purpose.
Malawi ranks 6th with a per capita income of $1,139, making it one of the poorest countries in the world. The lack of raw materials (although a number of mining companies have recently discovered rare metals and are in the process of mining rights), the lack of a seaport, the traditional focus on tea and tobacco plantations and the combination with the low education level of the population make the economic situation dramatic . On top of that came the AIDS epidemic, which wiped out a significant portion of the economically productive middle generation.
Malawi's favored export countries are:
- Belgium ($159 million)
- Germany ($147 million)
- India ($101 million)
- South Africa ($75.2 million)
- USA ($72.3 million)
The top import countries are:
- South Africa ($449 million)
- China ($309 million)
- India ($238 million)
- United Arab Emirates ($236 million)
- Zambia ($119 million)
(Source: atlas media, 2017)
