Malawi

Small by African standards, Malawi is a landlocked nation in southern Africa bordered by Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Lake Malawi. With an average per capita income of just $690, Malawi ranks among the world's poorest and least developed nations. The economy is mostly agricultural, driven by tobacco production. Malawi is mostly rural, with 85% of its people living outside of the two major cities, Lilongwe and Blantyre. It is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa.

The country faces many challenges, including massive debt, deep poverty, poor education, environmental problems, and the rapidly growing HIV/AIDS epidemic.

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Malawi News

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Population:
13,571,000
Languages:
English, Chichewa
Per capita income:
$690
Life expectancy:
49/51
Under-five mortality rate:
120/1,000 live births
Sources:
UNESCO and UNICEF

The warm heart of Africa

Water and Sanitation

Official government statistics relating to water and sanitation coverage (67% and 46%, respectively) in Malawi are considered by most to be overstated. There are insufficient resources available for measuring either population or coverage of these basic services. The urban water coverage estimate of 67% masks the situation in the unplanned peri-urban settlements that are not included in official statistics. The estimated rural water coverage figure of 62% may fail to account for the significant percentage of nonfunctioning facilities. As for sanitation, the usefulness of the figures depends on the definition of adequate sanitation. Almost all the facilities in Malawi are traditional pit latrines, the majority of which are merely holes in the ground and inadequate to prevent fecal-oral disease transmission. Most major agencies active in Malawi, including the government, estimate rural sanitation coverage at 30% or less.

Water-related diseases, including cholera and typhoid fever, are common throughout the country. These conditions have worsened through the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS, which has affected as much as 15% of the rural population and 30% of the in urban population.

 


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