Northern Region: population, health, schools, living standards, water and power
Northern Region is a region of Malawi, number 3 of 3 by population. The 2018 Population and Housing Census counted 2,289,780 people in the Northern Region (1,114,497 male, 1,175,283 female), 13.0% of Malawi's 17.56 million; the smallest of the 3 regions. This is the count from the latest census; the population has grown since.
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Northern Region: 19.2% of households in the Northern Region had electricity from the national grid (ESCOM) in 2024-2025, the highest of the 3 regions (Malawi: 14.2%).
- Health in Northern Region: For every 1,000 babies born in the Northern Region in the ten years before the 2024 survey, 35 died before their first birthday and 46 before their fifth; the under-five rate is the lowest of the 3 regions (Malawi, last five years: 48).
- Education in Northern Region: 86.5% of people aged 15 and over in the Northern Region could read and write in 2024-2025, according to the Sixth Integrated Household Survey, the highest of the 3 regions (Malawi: 79.3%).
- Poverty and living standards in Northern Region: 11.9% of people in the Northern Region belonged to the poorest fifth of Malawi's population by household wealth in 2024 and 24.5% to the richest fifth (nationally 20% each by definition); the poorest-fifth share is the lowest of the 3 regions.
How fast is the population of the Northern Region growing?
The Northern Region's population grew from 1,679,491 in the 2008 census to 2,289,780 in 2018, an average of 3.0% a year, the second 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 Northern Region?
The Northern Region had 84 people per square kilometre in 2018, the least 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 Northern Region live in towns and cities?
15.9% of the Northern Region's people lived in urban areas at the 2018 census (364,675 people), the second 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 Northern Region?
The 2018 census counted 472,376 households in the Northern Region, with 4.8 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 Northern Region have?
Women in the Northern Region have 3.7 children each on average at current rates, according to the 2024 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey, the second highest 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
- Central Region 7,523,340
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…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.