Child survival and development brief
Every child deserves a chance to survive and thrive
Highlights
According to the 2018 population census-based projections by Malawi National Statistical Office, Malawi had 9.5 million children aged 0–17 years – children made up about 48 per cent of the total population in 20231 – and 60.5 per cent of them are multidimensionally poor.2 Poverty is higher in rural areas (70 per cent) than in urban areas (25.7 per cent).3 Children are also at high risk for the impacts of climate change. According to the Children’s Climate Risk Index,4 Malawi is among the top 40 countries for high climate risk for children and vulnerable communities.
The under-five birth registration rate is 67 per cent, and only 22 per cent of under-five children have a birth registration certificate.5 It is estimated that over seven million children under 16 are not registered at birth. Malnutrition is a persistent public health issue in Malawi, with 35.5 per cent of children under the age of 5 years experiencing stunting, 12.8 per cent of children underweight, and 3.0 per cent suffering from severe acute malnutrition (wasting).6
An estimated 57,000 children aged 0–14 years in Malawi are living with HIV, of which 29 per cent are untested; therefore, they do not know their HIV status and are not being treated with life-saving antiretroviral medicines.7 Around 80,000 children under the age of five years are not immunized against polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases.8
Both social services and social protection coverage have been unable to alleviate the vulnerabilities of children living in poverty. Inequities in access to social services have further excluded the most marginalized children, including those with disabilities and albinism, as well as children living in areas prone to climate-related shocks. Malawi is amid an economic decline, making it challenging to fund national priorities and provide adequate services for children. Public spending on sectors benefiting children is estimated to drop to 28 per cent of the total national budget in 2023–2024, the lowest level in five years.
