Digital 2022: Malawi
This page contains all the data, insights, and trends you need to help you understand how people in Malawi use connected devices and services in 2022.
You’ll find our complete Digital 2022 report on Malawi in the “full report” section below, but let’s start by taking a look at the essential headlines for digital adoption and use in Malawi this year.
Malawi’s population in 2022
Malawi’s total population was 19.91 million in January 2022.
Data show that Malawi’s population increased by 525 thousand (+2.7 percent) between 2021 and 2022.
50.7 percent of Malawi’s population is female, while 49.3 percent of the population is male.
At the start of 2022, 18.0 percent of Malawi’s population lived in urban centres, while 82.0 percent lived in rural areas.
Note: gender data are currently only available for “female” and “male”.
Malawi’s population by age
The median age of the population in Malawi is 18.5.
For additional context, here’s a look at how the population in Malawi breaks down by age group:
15.1 percent of Malawi’s population is between the ages of 0 and 4.
21.8 percent of Malawi’s population is between the ages of 5 and 12.
12.3 percent of Malawi’s population is between the ages of 13 and 17.
14.0 percent of Malawi’s population is between the ages of 18 and 24.
15.0 percent of Malawi’s population is between the ages of 25 and 34.
9.7 percent of Malawi’s population is between the ages of 35 and 44.
6.0 percent of Malawi’s population is between the ages of 45 and 54.
3.4 percent of Malawi’s population is between the ages of 55 and 64.
2.7 percent of Malawi’s population is aged 65 and above.
Note: percentages may not sum to 100 percent due to rounding.
Internet use in Malawi in 2022
There were 4.03 million internet users in Malawi in January 2022.
Malawi’s internet penetration rate stood at 20.2 percent of the total population at the start of 2022.
Kepios analysis indicates that internet users in Malawi increased by 596 thousand (+17.4 percent) between 2021 and 2022.
For perspective, these user figures reveal that 15.88 million people in Malawi did not use the internet at the start of 2022, meaning that 79.8 percent of the population remained offline at the beginning of the year.
However, issues relating to COVID-19 continue to impact research into internet adoption, so actual internet user figures may be higher than these published numbers suggest (see here for further details).
For the latest insights into internet adoption and use around the world, follow our regular Global Statshot reports.
Internet connection speeds in Malawi in 2022
Data published by Ookla indicate that internet users in Malawi could have expected the following internet connection speeds at the start of 2022:
Median fixed internet connection speed: 5.65 Mbps.
Ookla’s data shows that fixed internet connection speeds in Malawi decreased by 0.44 Mbps (-7.2 percent) in the twelve months to the start of 2022.
Social media statistics for Malawi in 2022
There were 820.4 thousand social media users in Malawi in January 2022.
The number of social media users in Malawi at the start of 2022 was equivalent to 4.1 percent of the total population, but it’s important to note that social media users may not represent unique individuals (see our detailed notes on data to learn why).
Kepios analysis reveals that social media users in Malawi increased by 150 thousand (+22.4 percent) between 2021 and 2022.
Facebook users in Malawi in 2022
Data published in Meta’s advertising resources indicates that Facebook had 752.0 thousand users in Malawi in early 2022.
However, Meta made important changes to the way its advertising resources report audience reach data at the end of 2021 – including making significant revisions to its base audience data for Facebook – so the figures shown here are not directly comparable with figures published in our previous reports.
To learn more about these changes, please see this article, as well as our comprehensive notes on data.
The company’s revised audience figures mean that Facebook’s ad reach in Malawi was equivalent to 3.8 percent of the total population at the start of 2022.
However, Facebook restricts the use of its platform to people aged 13 and above, so it’s also worth highlighting that 6.0 percent of the “eligible” audience in Malawi uses Facebook in 2022.
For additional context, Facebook’s ad reach in Malawi was equivalent to 18.7 percent of the local internet user base (regardless of age) in January 2022.
At the start of 2022, 34.9 percent of Facebook’s ad audience in Malawi was female, while 65.1 percent was male.
Note: Meta’s advertising resources only publish audience gender data for “female” and “male” users.
Looking for more Facebook stats? Click here to explore our in-depth Facebook data for every country in the world.
Instagram users in Malawi in 2022
Numbers published in Meta’s advertising tools indicate that Instagram had 78.6 thousand users in Malawi in early 2022.
This figure suggests that Instagram’s ad reach in Malawi was equivalent to 0.4 percent of the total population at the start of the year.
However, Instagram restricts the use of its platform to people aged 13 and above, so it’s helpful to know that 0.6 percent of the “eligible” audience in Malawi uses Instagram in 2022.
It’s also worth noting that Instagram’s ad reach in Malawi at the start of 2022 was equivalent to 2.0 percent of the local internet user base (regardless of age).
In early 2022, 41.4 percent of Instagram’s ad audience in Malawi was female, while 58.6 percent was male.
Note: Meta’s advertising resources only publish audience gender data for “female” and “male” users.
Looking for more Instagram stats? Click here to explore our in-depth Instagram data for every country in the world.
Facebook Messenger users in Malawi in 2022
Data published in Meta’s advertising resources indicate that ads on Facebook Messenger reached 37.6 thousand users in Malawi in early 2022.
However, Meta made important changes to the way its advertising resources report audience reach data at the end of 2021 – including making significant revisions to its base audience data for Facebook Messenger – so the figures shown here are not directly comparable with figures published in our previous reports.
To learn more about these changes, please see this article, as well as our comprehensive notes on data.
The company’s revised audience numbers suggest that Facebook Messenger’s ad reach in Malawi was equivalent to 0.2 percent of the total population at the start of the year.
Facebook Messenger restricts the use of its platform to people aged 13 and above though, so it’s also worth highlighting that ads reach 0.3 percent of Facebook Messenger’s “eligible” audience in Malawi in 2022.
For additional context, Facebook Messenger’s ad reach in Malawi is equivalent to 0.9 percent of the local internet user base (regardless of age).
At the start of 2022, 36.2 percent of Facebook Messenger’s ad audience in Malawi was female, while 63.8 percent was male.
Notes: Meta’s advertising resources only publish audience gender data for “female” and “male” users.
Looking for more Facebook Messenger stats? Click here to explore our in-depth Facebook Messenger data for every country in the world.
LinkedIn users in Malawi in 2022
Figures published in LinkedIn’s advertising resources indicate that LinkedIn had 190.0 thousand “members” in Malawi in early 2022.
However, note that LinkedIn’s advertising tools publish audience reach data based on total registered members, rather than the monthly active users that form the basis of the ad reach figures published by most other social media platforms.
As a result, these LinkedIn figures are not directly comparable with the figures for other social media platforms published on this page, or in our Digital 2022 reports.
The company’s advertising reach figures suggest that LinkedIn’s audience in Malawi was equivalent to 1.0 percent of the total population at the start of 2022.
LinkedIn restricts the use of its platform to people aged 18 and above though, so it’s also helpful to know that 1.9 percent of the “eligible” audience in Malawi uses LinkedIn in 2022.
For additional context, LinkedIn’s ad reach in Malawi was equivalent to 4.7 percent of the local internet user base (regardless of age) at the start of the year.
In early 2022, 31.4 percent of LinkedIn’s ad audience in Malawi was female, while 68.6 percent was male.
Note: LinkedIn’s advertising resources only publish audience gender data for “female” and “male” users.
Looking for more LinkedIn stats? Click here to explore our in-depth LinkedIn data for every country in the world.
Twitter users in Malawi in 2022
Numbers published in Twitter’s advertising resources indicate that Twitter had 43.0 thousand users in Malawi in early 2022.
This figure means that Twitter’s ad reach in Malawi was equivalent to 0.2 percent of the total population at the time.
However, Twitter restricts the use of its platform to people aged 13 and above, so it may be helpful to know that 0.3 percent of the “eligible” audience in Malawi uses Twitter in 2022.
For additional context, Twitter’s ad reach in Malawi was equivalent to 1.1 percent of the local internet user base (regardless of age) at the start of the year.
Note: due to anomalies in the source data, we regret that we’re currently unable to provide insights into Twitter’s ad audience by gender.
Looking for more Twitter stats? Click here to explore our in-depth Twitter data for every country in the world.
Mobile connections in Malawi in 2022
Data from GSMA Intelligence shows that there were 10.23 million cellular mobile connections in Malawi at the start of 2022.
However, note that many people around the world make use of more than one mobile connection – for example, they might have one connection for personal use, and another one for work – so it’s not unusual for mobile connection figures to significantly exceed figures for total population.
GSMA Intelligence’s numbers indicate that mobile connections in Malawi were equivalent to 51.4 percent of the total population in January 2022.
The number of mobile connections in Malawi increased by 793 thousand (+8.4 percent) between 2021 and 2022.
Additional resources
Just before we get to the full report, here are some suggestions for further reading, which will provide additional context for our full set of Digital 2022 numbers for Malawi:
Read our complete Digital 2022 Global Overview Report to get a comprehensive overview of the “state of digital” around the world in 2022.
Click here to see all of the Global Digital Reports we’ve published on Malawi over the past decade.
Explore all of our reports on countries in Eastern Africa by clicking here.
Visit our complete online reports library to find all of the (free!) reports in the Global Digital Reports series.
If you’d like to receive updates when we publish new reports, click here to sign up for our newsletter.
Full report
You’ll find our complete Digital 2022: Malawi report in the SlideShare embed below (click here if that’s not working for you).