Central Region: population, health, schools, living standards, water and power
Central Region is a region of Malawi, number 2 of 3 by population. The 2018 Population and Housing Census counted 7,523,340 people in the Central Region (3,679,556 male, 3,843,784 female), 42.8% of Malawi's 17.56 million; the second largest of the 3 regions. This is the count from the latest census; the population has grown since.
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Central Region: 11.8% of households in the Central Region had electricity from the national grid (ESCOM) in 2024-2025, the lowest of the 3 regions (Malawi: 14.2%).
- Health in Central Region: For every 1,000 babies born in the Central Region in the ten years before the 2024 survey, 34 died before their first birthday and 49 before their fifth; the under-five rate is the second highest of the 3 regions (Malawi, last five years: 48).
- Education in Central Region: 78.3% of people aged 15 and over in the Central Region could read and write in 2024-2025, according to the Sixth Integrated Household Survey, the second highest of the 3 regions (Malawi: 79.3%).
- Poverty and living standards in Central Region: 24.2% of people in the Central Region belonged to the poorest fifth of Malawi's population by household wealth in 2024 and 20.1% to the richest fifth (nationally 20% each by definition); the poorest-fifth share is the highest of the 3 regions.
How fast is the population of the Central Region growing?
The Central Region's population grew from 5,497,252 in the 2008 census to 7,523,340 in 2018, an average of 3.1% a year, the fastest of the 3 regions (Malawi: 2.9% a year).
Source: National Statistical Office of Malawi (copy hosted by UNFPA Malawi) · saved copyHow densely populated is the Central Region?
The Central Region had 211 people per square kilometre in 2018, the second most densely populated of the 3 regions (Malawi: 186).
Source: National Statistical Office of Malawi (copy hosted by UNFPA Malawi) · saved copyHow many people in the Central Region live in towns and cities?
17.3% of the Central Region's people lived in urban areas at the 2018 census (1,298,785 people), the most urban of the 3 regions (Malawi: 16.0%).
Source: National Statistical Office of Malawi (copy hosted by UNFPA Malawi) · saved copyHow many households are there in the Central Region?
The 2018 census counted 1,713,010 households in the Central Region, with 4.4 people each on average (Malawi: 4.4).
Source: National Statistical Office of Malawi (copy hosted by UNFPA Malawi) · saved copyHow many children do women in the Central Region have?
Women in the Central Region have 3.5 children each on average at current rates, according to the 2024 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey, the lowest of the 3 regions (Malawi: 3.7).
Source: National Statistical Office of Malawi (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyHow regions are governed in Malawi
Regions (3: Northern, Central, Southern). No elected government. Used for national administration and statistics only.
Every tier of government in Malawi
Other regions of Malawi
- Southern Region 7,750,629
- Northern Region 2,289,780
Up a level: Malawi · government and power in Malawi · cities
Sources
- National Statistical Office of Malawi (with ICF, The DHS Program): Malawi Demographic and Health Survey 2024: Final Report (region rows of Tables 2.6, 2.12, 3.2.1, 3.6.1, 5.2, 5.12, 8.3, 9.7, 10.4, 11.1, 12.15, 15.6.1, 16.2 and 16.7), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 67bf038b8ed3…)
- National Statistical Office of Malawi: The Sixth Integrated Household Survey (IHS6) 2024-2025 Main Report: appendix Tables 3.2, 3.5, 3.6, 6.1, 7.17, 9.1, 9.2, 10.3 and 12.1 by region, read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 199eeaf84c4b…)
- National Statistical Office of Malawi (copy hosted by UNFPA Malawi): 2018 Malawi Population and Housing Census Main Report: Tables A1 and A3 (population by region, sex, urban and rural), 2.2 (growth 2008-2018), 2.5 (density) and 4.1 (households), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1a44ad127e84…)
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