Background Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule under President Hastings Kamuzu BANDA the country held multiparty elections in 1994, under a provisional constitution which came into full effect the following year. Current President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA, elected in May 2004 after a failed attempt by the previous president to amend the constitution to permit another term, struggled to assert his authority against his predecessor, culminating in MUTHARIKA quitting the political party on whose ticket he was elected into office. MUTHARIKA subsequently started his own party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), and has continued with a halting anti-corruption campaign against abuses carried out under the previous regime. Increasing corruption, population growth, increasing pressure on agricultural lands, and the spread of HIV/AIDS pose major problems for the country. The People | Population | 13,603,181 | | 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.) | | Life expectancy at birth | total population: 42.98 years
male: 43.35 years
female: 42.61 years (2007 est.) | Population growth rate | 2.383% (2007 est.) | | 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) | | Population below poverty line | 53% (2004) | | People living with HIV/AIDS | 900,000 (2003 est.) | | HIV/AIDS - deaths | 84,000 (2003 est.) | | Mobile phones in use | 429,300 (2005) | | Internet users | 59,700 (2006) |
Data (Background & The People) provided by The World Factbook |